


Chess

by noladyme



Category: Suicide Squad (2016)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-24
Updated: 2020-11-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:14:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 43,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27700538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noladyme/pseuds/noladyme
Summary: Chess never hurt anyone who didn’t deserve it. She only took what she needed, or what she felt others needed. She’d stayed out of sight for a long time, avoiding anything that could get her in to too much trouble. But for some reason Rick Flag shows up in her life, and in an instant, everything changes.
Relationships: Rick Flag/Original Female Character(s), Rick Flag/Reader
Comments: 14
Kudos: 15





	1. Chapter 1

Thuesdays were never good for earning at Sammy’s. The small burlesque club, with the unfortunate grammatically incorrect name, smelled like it always did. Of old tobacco, cheap alcohol, and even cheaper perfume. The regulars were seated in their usual seats, eyeing me, as I – with as much enthusiasm as I could muster – smiled at them. Not the _smile_. Disappearing from the stage in the middle of a dance wouldn’t exactly earn me extra tips.

I blew a kiss at the patrons, and leant over the chair, resting my hips on the back of it, before I put my hands on the seat, lifting my legs into the air, into a perfect mermaid position. Shimmying my shoulders, I then lowered my chest onto the seat, folding my hands under my chin. I winked at the patron straight in front of me – a skinny middle aged man, with a tan suit, two sizes too big for him – I then sighed, and sent a longing look at his pack of cigarettes. God, I wanted a smoke. Mr. Tan Suit saw the look, and giddily put a cigarette between my lips, lighting it for me with a shaking hand. I pretended not to mind that he almost burnt of my eyebrows, and lifted my torso in to the air again.

Cigarette in mouth, I spread my legs into a frog position, and slid my butt under myself, down the front of the backrest, finally landing with a bump on the seat.

Scanning the room for potential income, I locked eyes with a stranger, seated with his back against the wall. He looked different than the regulars. For one thing, he looked like he’d actually showered that morning; but what really caught my eye, was the way he seemed completely at ease in the dark rundown club, relaxing in his chair, arms folded across his chest. _Nice looking arms_ , I thought to myself. _I wonder what else on him is nice_.

The usual patrons, even the regulars, would always have some sort of nervous twitch, bouncing their legs, pulling at their shirts, looking like they felt they were doing something naughty; sitting here, looking at men, women and everything in between, dancing and grinding across the stage.

This guy was a regular Ken doll – scratch that, G.I. Joe – sitting perfectly still, watching my every move. Not a smile or a lifted brow, to reveal any kind of arousal or nerves. I didn’t know whether to be annoyed or aroused by his look. I decided to go with annoyed.

I stood up, and finishing with a twirl around the folding chair, I picked up the tip-bucket, and sauntered of the stage with it in hand. I walked past Mr. Tan Suit, smiling at him. He seemed sweet, probably spent his last change on the entry fee, but even if he hadn’t, I would leave his purse alone. As a thank you for the smoke.

With a last look at G.I. Joe, I smirked and bit my lower lip. He looked me straight in the eyes. Nothing. Not a smile. Just big, light brown eyes, over chiseled cheekbones; staring at me, as if goading me to make a move.

Fuck him, I thought, and went to get a drink.

Sammy was behind the bar as usual, as I sat down on one of the stools. Free, though watered down, drinks were part of the deal, when you performed here.

“Tip alright today, cher’?”, he drawled at me, not meeting my eyes. I riffled through the bucket.

“15 bucks, and what looks like a stick of gum”, I retorted, reaching for the glass of scotch he handed me.

“Jackpot”, Sammy joked, scratching his armpit. “Look, honey”, he started, before I interrupted him.

“Yeah, I know. Times are hard. You just had to pay one of your suppliers. Your dog ate your homework… I know your spiel”. I winked at him. “Pay me next week, yeah?”, I said, and put the 15 dollars in my bra.

Sammy reached over and pinched my cheek. “You’re my favorite girl, Y/N”.

Yeah, me and every other of the dancers who’d let him of easy. Sammy was a good guy, but running a burlesque club in The Narrows in Gotham wasn’t the most lucrative decision he’d made since leaving New Orleans. Had he opened a stripclub, he might have made some money, but Sammy had a strict “no nipple”-policy in his club.

“I’ll manage, Sammy. I have my ways”, I smirked at him.

“I know you do, cher’”, he answered. “Just be careful”.

“Always am”, I said, already of the stool, walking towards the backstage door.

Walking past a table of men, who looked like they’d had one too many, a hand grabbed my wrist; pulling me into the lap of a sweaty man in his 40’s. His hand groped at my thigh, as I tried to get up.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw G.I. move. He was leaning forward, eyes even more intense.

“Not so fast, sweetheart”, the sweaty man said. “Gotta get my moneys worth”, he whispered in my ear, as his hand travelled further north, trying to reach the inside of my legs. I pressed my thighs together hard, and slid my fingers across the table, towards his money clip. It was his own fault really, leaving money around like that. I looked at the man, and gave him my _smile_ , as my fingertips reached the bills on the table, making them vanish from sight.

Looking at G.I., I saw his eyes had moved from mine, towards my fingers, and the now invisible money clip.

_Shit_ , I thought, chills running up my spine. Not good. G.I.s eyes locked with mine again, his lips parting for the first time, into something other than a smile. More like a sneer.

“Hey!”, I heard Sammys southern drawl from behind me. His fist was firmly clenched around the mans shirt collar. “No touching the performers!”. The man instantly let go of my thigh, and I got up, sliding the money clip into the front of my shorts.

I kissed Sammys cheek. “Thanks”, I smiled, trying to hide the sadness from my voice. I wouldn’t see him again. I knew that.

Walking calmly towards the backstage door, I was very aware of G.I. following my every move. I had – maybe – 30 seconds. Closing the door behind me, I locked it, and put a chair under the doorknob. That might buy me a few seconds more. My backpack was still on the table, always packed, always ready. There was no way I was going anywhere inconspicuously, dressed in a red glittery bra, and bootyshorts. I quickly put on my ripped jeans and thin black, off the shoulder, sweater. Sammys trucker cap – a memento from his days as a truckdriver in Louisiana – hung on a nail by the door. I mentally apologized to him, put it on my head, and grabbed my leather jacket. With a final look across the small dressing room, I blinked away a tear, and stepped onto the wobbly dressing table, opening the small window above it.

There was a knock on the door.

“Miss Y/L/N”, a voice rattled me. He knew my real last name. Not the one I had given Sammy and everyone else this last year.

I hoisted myself, sliding my torso out the window.

“Chess!”. The doorknob wiggled, not opening the locked door. My foot slid on the mirror, making me scratch my belly on a rusty nail by the window.

“Shit”, I gasped, hearing my sweater rip, as I proceeded to climb out the small window. You’d think I’d be able to get through this fucking thing, having lived on cup noodles and stale coffee for months.

There was a loud thud at the door. He was trying to break through it. In the background I heard Sammy yelling at G.I..

“Move back, Mr.”, G.I.s authoritative voice roared. _Shit. Shit. Shit_. Another loud thud, followed by what sounded like gunshots. Please don’t hurt Sammy, was all I could think, as I finally got my legs through the window, grabbing at the edge of it, hanging, legs dangling, over a 10 feet drop down to the ground. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to land on my feet this time.

I heard a final crash – the door finally giving in – and let go.

The fall seemed to last forever, though I knew it was but a second. Spreading my legs, preparing for a pain, I landed on my feet, before instantly tumbling forward, scratching my knee on the concrete pavement.

I stood up, carefully trying to stand on my hurt leg. I could walk, even run; I was sure.

Looking up, I saw G.I.s head sticking through the window. “Back alley”, he yelled into a radio. He looked pissed. _Good_.

I couldn’t help but laugh as I started to run, but I only got to the corner of the alley, when I heard tires screeching, and angry voices yelling. A military looking van had stopped right in front of me.

“Freeze, lady!”, a soldier boomed at me, pointing something that looked like a gun from some video game. I stopped in my tracks, raised my hands above my head, putting them on the top of Sammys cap. G.I. appeared from somewhere, looking strangely impressed with me. It made me hate him even more.

“Chess”, he said.

“You’ve got the wrong person”, I answered, trying to look innocent.

“That stunt you pulled in there, with that guys money, tells me I’ve got exactly the right person”.

A second soldier, came up behind me, pocking me between the shoulders with his gun.

I sighed, and looked G.I. in the eyes, defeated. “Would you mind asking Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum here to lower their guns?”.

G.I. laughed. _Asshole_. “Those guns are the only thing holding you in place right now, so that’s not happening, kitten”.

_What the fuck was that?_ Kitten? If I’d worn my claws, I’d show him kitten. No. I was done.

I slowly lowered my hands from my head.

“Keep your goddamn hands up, lady!”, the second soldier boomed from behind me.

A second vehicle pulled up, a window to the back seat, slightly open, showing me the face of the passenger. I’d seen that face before. Dark brown eyes, and dark hair above it; and an expression that read nothing but contempt. This was not good at all. There was no way I was going anywhere with these people.

I stretched out my arms to each side looking from soldier to soldier, to the woman in the van; finally meeting the eyes of G.I.

“You know there is no way out of this”, he said quietly, slowly stepping towards me, his hands in front of him, showing me his gun was in its holster. The soldier behind me, had moved next to his “twin”, still aiming at me. The woman in the van leaned back in her seat, looking almost challenging at me.

I could hear my heart beating, and I was sure G.I. could too. He raised his eyebrows. “Just, make it easy for yourself ok? I don’t want to hurt you”. Continuously stepping towards me, slowly, as you would towards a cornered animal, he lowered one hand towards his belt, to his gun. “I don’t want to use this”.

I looked behind me. There was a wire fence blocking my way in that direction. No way over it, as long as I wasn’t wearing my claws. I wasn’t that nimble, the scratch on my belly reminded me. When I looked down at myself, I saw that my sweater had a rip, and I was bleeding through it. The cut wasn’t deep, but it might need stitches. Looking up at my antagonist one final time, I made the decision. He knew; they all already knew, so I might as well.

He stepped forward one last time. He was close enough to touch, and I could smell his aftershave, something subtle, but expensive, I thought; and I felt the heat from his body. Then, making myself focus on the task at hand, I closed my eyes, exhaled, and felt the purr move through my body, vibrating.

I opened my eyes again, and looked deep into his. “Another time and place, we might have had some fun, G.I. Joe.”, I half whispered to him. He blinked, and his lips moved. _There it is_ , I thought.

“Flag!”, the woman in the van yelled. “Now!”.

I _smiled_ , and – purring – I felt the light bend around my body, making it disappear before them, as in a mist. G.I. blinked again, grabbed his gun, and raised it; aiming pointlessly around, looking for me. I giggled, and got ready to run.


	2. Chapter 2

The soldiers around me were scrambling, confused. _I missed this_ , I admitted to myself.

G.I. – Flag, Boss Lady had called him – stood, mouth agape, still pointlessly aiming his silly gun, and I couldn’t help myself. I quietly snuck up behind his tall frame, got on my toes, and whispered.

“Cat got your tongue?”.

He quickly spun around, rage in his eyes, and I jumped back, as he struck towards the direction of my voice. His hand swiped at my midsection, fingers reaching the cut on my stomach. He felt it, and I moved backwards quietly, still concentrating on keeping up the mirage, through the pain. Looking at his fingers, he saw my blood on them.

“Goggles!”, he yelled. The Tweedles, and the soldiers storming out of the vans, put on some weird looking glasses. Flag put on his own, and turned towards me, looking straight into my face.

* * *

“There you are”, he smiled. Panicking, I ran. I could hear voices behind me, yelling at me to stop. Confusion hit me, as I didn’t hear any gunfire; but fear won me over, so without hesitation, I kept going.

Narrowly avoiding being grabbed by a Tweedle, I scaled the hood of one of their vans, stomping across the roof, and jumped onto the ground behind it.

“She’s outside my 30 foot range”, a voice behind me shouted, as another closer voice answered; “I still got her in sight”.

 _How are they seeing me?_ , I questioned myself, realizing their googles must have some temperature device connected to them. They must have gotten those from the Bat. _Fuck_ , I thought. I just had to stay far enough away from them, so that my projection could blend in with the surroundings.

Knocking over a trash can, I sped down the sidewalk. Behind me I heard Flags voice.

“I got her. 20 feet ahead!”, he thundered, running impossibly fast, closing up on me.

 _I gotta quit smoking_ , I thought, feeling my heart desperately pump blood and oxygen through my system; keeping me moving, but also keeping up my mirage. I knew I wouldn’t last forever. I’d run out of energy too soon, having to keep up speed and invisibility.

Turning around another corner, I was greeted by a busy street, full of taxicabs and trucks. As it was after midnight, most normal people had gone inside, and were now sleeping behind their rolled down curtains. Had they been looking outside, they’d see a group of soldiers, clad in grey, storming down the street, machineguns lifted, aiming at someone who wasn’t there. I couldn’t help but see the humor in the scene.

Flag was gaining on me, his men following close behind. The sidewalk was cleared of people, except for the occasional lady of the night, offering her service to the cabdrivers. I ran into the street, and almost got hit by a truck whose driver couldn’t see me.

“Shit, she ran into traffic”, Flag yelled. “Spread out! 3 o’clock, 15 feet”. I wanted to smash his stupid glasses into his handsome face.

Crossing the street, I turned, and ran down an alley. My chest heaved, and I had a metallic taste in my mouth. It was a dead end. I was greeted by a graffitied wall, displaying the image of a large grinning mouth, with golden teeth. “Ha Ha Ha” was written in bold script underneath it. This was Clown territory, and for a hot second I didn’t know whether to be more worried about that, than the soldiers behind me.

“Just stop, Chess!”, Flag called behind me. “You have nowhere to run. Just come with us. Now”. His gun raised, he stalked towards me, an angry sneer on his face.

In a corner of the alley, I saw an old dumpster, under a fire escape. “Don’t even think about it”, Flag said, voice calm.

My energy was almost gone. I knew I wouldn’t be able to make the jump, if I had to keep up the mirage. I allowed my body to reappear to him.

“I’m not going with you, Joe”, I said with a shaking voice.

“It’s Flag. Colonel Rick Flag. We’re not here to hurt you, but I will shoot, if you take another step”.

“No you won’t”, I said, and ran for the dumpster. I heard a gunshot, and felt the wind from the bullet graze past my head. I jumped onto the dumpster, bended my knees, and sprang upwards, grabbing at the ladder above. I almost reached it, but fell short a few inches, fingertips lightly touching the bottom of the ladder for a millisecond; before I fell back towards the ground, landing hard on my side. Pain shot through my hip, and not a second later; he was on me.

I screamed, growled and hissed, as he pinned my body down.

“Relax, kitten. Just stop”, he said, holding my wrists above my head, and intertwining his legs with mine, holding them in a painful position; worsening the pain in my hip.

“Get of me”, I shrieked. “Let me go. You’re hurting me!”.

I twisted my torso, forcing him to reposition his legs, and lock around mine. He drew my right arm down, and behind me, then forcing it upwards. His other arm locked around my torso, and I used my – now free – left hand, to claw at his face behind me, getting a hold of his hair.

There we were, wrestling in a weird bearhug; as his hips grinded forward, his groin meeting my backside.

“You’re enjoying this, you pervert”, I hissed.

“You wish”, he answered, and forced my right arm further upward, drawing another scream from me.

I made a last desperate attempt to break free, knocking my head backwards, aiming for his nose, but only meeting air; as his head was moved to the side.

“Give. Up.”. His voice was cold and determined.

He repositioned his body, one strong arm around my torso, holding both my arms in place in front of me.

“Get the tranq’”, he called, as a Tweedle came running towards us, with what looked like a piercing gun. I began to shake, not liking where this was heading. Flag grabbed the gun, held it to my neck, and pulled the trigger.

“Just sleep, now”.

Suddenly the world started to blur. I opened my mouth, but not a sound came out of it. I blinked once, but immediately regretted it, as opening my eyelids again was near impossible.

Behind me, I felt Flag loosening his grip on me. “That’s it”, his voice sounded, from far away. I felt his hand sliding down my side, then moving towards my stomach. Finally, opening my eyes, I looked down, head spinning; as he slid his hand down the front of my waistband. Strangely enjoying his touch, I was weirdly disappointed, when his hand moved up again, pulling out the money clip from before. “Get this back to the man at the club”, his faraway voice said.

He let go of me, and I rolled onto my back, breathing slowly. “Tease”, I chuckled at him. The last thing I saw, was him sending me a crooked smile. Then everything went black.

\---

Everything after that happened in glimpses. My body was lifted from the ground, and placed in a truck.

I must have been out of it, because the next thing I remembered was my ears popping, and a sharp pain from a needle, being forced through my skin, stitching up the bleeding gash on my belly. I heard helicopter sounds, and felt the weird weightless emotion, of being lifted into the air, and flown; somewhere.

Next it was another vehicle, bumping down a road full of holes. I gasped from the pain in my hip and stomach, and tried to move, but my wrists were firmly held in place by cuffs, attached to the gurney I was laying on. Black again.

Sounds of gates. The smell of wet dirt. Something or someone growling. An accented voice yelling “We got a new toy, mates”. The smell of burning wood. Loud giggles from a voice I knew I’d heard before.

I finally came to, as my body was unceremoniously discarded on a hard floor. I opened my eyes, Examining the room, eyes reaching the door. Catching my breath, I tried to reach for it.

In the door opening stood the woman from the van in the alley, next to Flag, who’s eyes – for the first time – would not meet mine.

“Welcome to Belle Reve”, the woman said. “Once you’ve settled in, and come to your senses, we’ll be back to talk to you”.

I opened my mouth, and tilted my head, trying desperately to come up with a clever answer, but she interrupted my blurry train of thought.

“Y/N. I know you won’t believe me, but this is for the best. Welcome to the first day of your new life”.

The door slammed, and I heard them walking away.

I screamed. I banged the door. I pleaded. I called the people outside every profanity I knew. But it was no use, and I knew it. They’d caught me, and I wasn’t going anywhere for the foreseeable future.

Looking around the room, I saw that it was more prison cell, than hotel accommodation. In one corner there was a hole in the floor, with what was left of a toilet roll next to it. There were no windows, and the only thing resembling a bed, was a thin foam mattress, covered by a smelly blanket.

Suddenly, the lights went out, and it was pitch black.

“Hi, honey”, a voice called. “Look up. See that tiny red dot in the ceiling?”. I did. “That’s me. My name is Griggs, but you can call me Captain. All my best friends do; and, oh, we’re gonna be bffs in no time”. The snarling voice cackled, and then died out.

I was alone.

\---

I don’t know how long I screamed, but my throat hurt, and after a while, my voice was hoarse and disappearing

I counted seconds, but lost track, I decided to feel my way around the room.

A scratch and a howl from the speaker next to the red dot interrupted me.

“Careful, sweetheart. We didn’t have time to cat-proof the room for you. There might be some exposed wires on the floor. Old buildings, you’ll understand”.

I crawled to the mattress, curling up in a seated position on it.

“It’s funny, I thought cats could see in the dark”, Griggs voice said. “Here’s the deal. I know you can make it so we can’t see you, so I decided to make it so that you can’t see anything”. I could hear him smile.

“Don’t worry. You’ll get three square meals a day, and I’ll be watching you through this fancy thermal camera Waller gave me, that makes it so I can make sure you’re perfectly safe”. He was leering at me. I could hear it. “I’ll be looking, or some of my guys here will. You’ll never be alone. Whatever you do, we’re here, keeping you company”.

My body was quivering. A small hatch in the bottom of the door opened, and someone slid a small box into the room.

“That right there is a prison grade uniform. I heard that you’re a dancer, so you’ll want to be able to move in it. I made some adjustments to it, just for you. Now put it on. Go on. I’ll turn on the lights, so it’s easier for you”.

The lights flickered on, and cut into my eyes. Inside the box was a tank top, cut, so that it would cover barely more than my chest. A pair of stained orange shorts, and worn slippers completed the outfit.

“I’m not wearing this”, I called out into the room.

“Come on, honey. You don’t want to piss me of”.

“Fuck you!”, I yelled, and kicked the box into the corner.

Loud music, some kind of weird trance/dubstep mashup, with a pounding bass played loudly enough for me to cover my ears.

“Put on the clothes, and put your own clothes in the box”, Griggs voice boomed. “This is my house, sweetbutt, and you’ll respect your host!”.

The music became impossibly louder, and I dived for the box, grabbing the clothes.

“That’s it. Now turn towards the camera, and let me see you”. I did as asked, and started to strip down to my underwear. I was still wearing my glittery dance bra, and ripped jeans; shedding the later, to reveal my black panties underneath.

“Now we’re talking, huh, boys”, Griggs voice laughed; and I heard other voices in the background, jeering along with him.

Quickly, I put on the prison “uniform”, and put my own clothes into the box, pushing it out of the hatch, that had reopened. The box disappeared, and was replaced with a small bowl; filled with small brown pellets, floating around in some water.

“Kibble time, puss”.

The lights went out again, and everything went silent.


	3. Chapter 3

I don’t know how many days passed. In the dark, days and nights flowed together; making it difficult to keep up a daily rhythm that made sense.

I lived from meal to meal. Not that I ate much of what they sent in, which was usually more of those little pellets in water; and every third meal, being something cold and mushy, that smelt conspicuously like canned cat food. It took me about 6 “meals”, to finally accept that this is what it actually was. With the canned food I’d get a thin slice of stale toast. This – along with a plastic cup of water – was all I consumed for a long time.

* * *

Every once in a while, I’d hear Griggs voice through the speaker, reminding me he was still there. He’d tell me to get ready; meaning I had to face the wall opposite the door, hands and legs spread. They’d come in then, the guards, usually fronted by the man himself, and flip over the mattress, pretending to search my cell for contraband.

That’s when he’d stand behind me, pressing himself against my back. His hands would wander, patting me down everywhere, even the parts of my body not covered by clothing. After a final squeeze of my asscheek; he’d turn around and proclaim; “She’s clean”. They’d back out the door, shut it, and it would be dark again.

During one of these visits, I’d had enough, and as Griggs hand wandered towards my groin area, I quickly grabbed his hand, twisting his fingers until I heard a crack.

“Bitch!”, Griggs screeched, elbowed me in the side; and as I feel to the floor, I suddenly had three guards on me, kicking me on my sore hip, and on my ribs. One of the kicks pushed the air out of me, and as I desperately tried to regain control of my breathing, they backed out the door, leaving me there alone.

Maybe 10 minutes later, the speaker howled in the darkness.

“That was not very nice, puss”, Griggs said. “You know, I’ve tried to play nice with you; even breaking the budget on those canned foods you’ve been getting. No more. It’s time you settle in for the long haul”.

Music played, at first at a low volume; but then increasing, until it felt like my head was going to explode from the sound. It would stay like that for about 30 seconds, before being lowered again. It continued like this; music turning up and down, with the highest volume being so intense, no amount of covering my ears seemed to help. My heart beat fiercely, and I could even feel the veins of my fingers pounding. I curled up in a seated position.

After what seemed like forever, the music stopped. I exhaled, and removed my hands from my ears; my biceps stinging from how long and forcefully I had been covering them. I laid down, ears ringing; and I could hear the blood pumping through my body. My ribs and my hip were pulsating in pain.

I closed my eyes, and my body began to give in to sleep.

The music started again. Same pattern as before. I screamed, but at the height of the music, I couldn’t even hear my own voice. That’s when I passed out.

\---

“Chess”, a familiar voice called. “Y/N!”. I came too, slowly.

“No more”; I whispered into the darkness; lips and tongue dry.

“Cover your eyes. I’m turning on the lights”. I recognized the voice then. Flag. With great effort, I covered my face with my arm, curling up into a fetal position. I heard the sound of the fluorescent lights flickering on. Then footsteps and keys rattling outside the door.

“Three goddamn days? She’s been out for three days?!”, Flags voice boomed on the other side of the door. “Why didn’t you call me sooner?”.

The door opened, and through the crack of my bended arm, I saw boots walking towards me.

“We thought she was faking it, sir”, Griggs answered Flag.

I felt a hand on my waist, and winced in pain.

“What the hell did you do to her?”, Flag growled.

“She attacked me, sir. My men might have gone a bit overboard”, Griggs retorted.

I blinked, the light still too sharp for my eyes. Flag took a hold of my arm, pulling it away from my face. My eyes hurt, but I looked up at him. His expression was pained.

Putting an arm around my waist, he pulled me up into a seated position. I looked down at my body. I was filthy, covered in dust; and my arms and legs looked skinnier than the last time I’d seen them.

“Can you stand?”, Flag quietly asked me. His eyes were worried.

I tried to get onto my knees, but was too dizzy; and fell back onto my butt. Flag got behind me, and carefully slipped his arms through mine; lifting me onto my feet.

I was weak, and tried to take a wobbly step forward, falling back into his arms. He lifted my arm, and put it around his neck, dragging me with him.

“Help me out, Edwards”, Flag said, and a man with a stubbled face, standing a few inches shorter than Flag, took my other arm around his own neck. Half walking, half carrying me out of the cell, we passed Griggs, who was standing outside. I saw that his hand was in a cast of some kind; and smiled at the fact that I’d made my mark.

They walked me down a dimly lit corridor. Was I in a basement? The doors we passed were all closed, and I wondered if there were other prisoners behind them.

At the end of the hall were stairs, and the two soldiers dragged me up them, until we came to a new corridor, cleaner and brighter than the one we had come from. They took me to a room, sparsely furnitured with a metal table, and two chairs on either side of it. A clock over the door told me it was 3 o’clock. Am or pm, I didn’t know. _Interrogation_ , I told myself, and the men seated me in a chair, handcuffing me to the table.

On one wall was large mirror, which I knew would be a two way.

I looked at myself in the mirror. The person staring back at me was someone I didn’t know. Her face was gaunt, eyes dark; and she was black and blue on one side of her torso. _Well hello, gorgeous_ , I laughed at myself.

“Something funny?”, Flag asked me, on his way out the door.

“Just that stick up your ass”, I answered, and smiled as brightly as I could.

He closed the door behind him.

One hand free, I ran my fingers through my hair; matted from my ordeal.

I waited for about 30 minutes. Something smelled rancid, and I realized it was me. I hadn’t bathed for who knew how long; but it would obviously have to wait.

The door opened again, and in stepped the woman from the van, followed by Flag, who was looking everywhere but at me. The woman sat down, and pulled out a paper file folder.

“My name is Amanda Waller”, she said.

“I know who you are”, I said, and leant back in the chair, trying for casual. “I also know you’re here to make me an offer I can’t refuse. Literally. You’ll kill me if I do”.

Waller smirked. “I won’t, but the guards at this place might. Apparently, you broke the captains favorite jerking hand”.

“So you’ve been listening in”.

“We have. And though I am not happy with the way things have turned out, it seems all of this was necessary to keep you in line”, Waller retorted. “Let me get down to the point. Me and the colonel here, lead a group of people with special skills. For some reason you know this already; so you probably also know that each of these individuals are people, who most of the good people of The United States would rather see behind bars, or even executed”. She narrowed her eyes at me. “Before I continue, please humor me; how did you know of us?”.

“I knew about you. I didn’t know about Mr. Tall, Lean and Grumpy here”, I said, and nodded my head in Flags direction. His expression remained calm, but his lips twitched once; revealing that my answer had made an effect.

“Hear that, Flag? Your cover remains unblown. Good for you”. Her cold eyes remained on me. “Now answer the question, Y/N”.

“There are whispers. About a cold bitch who is tracking people like me; to use our… _special skills_ ”, I repeated her own words.

“But there really is no one like you, is there, _Chess_?”. She stood up, and opened the folder. “Y/N Y/L/N. A.k.a. Chess. Short for Cheshire?”.

“Nah, that name was taken”, I smirked.

“Right. You don’t strike me as someone with martial arts skills and venomous nails”, she said, looking down at my chipped black polish.

“I can scrap with the best of them, if necessary”.

“I’m counting on it”. She continued. “B minus high school student, until you had a run in with Jervis Tetch, a.k.a. The Mad Hatter. Experimenting with a device he hoped would render himself invisible, he tested it out on one of his kidnapping victims. You”.

I winced. The memory of that event was something I’d rather have been left alone.

“It backfired. Without going in to the scientific details, it made you able to become invisible at will, without using the aforementioned device. He decided to use you for his own criminal activity, and for a few years, you worked for him as a cat burglar and spy. During one of his stints in Arkham Asylum, you decided to become an independent contractor”.

I sat up straight, daring her to continue. She sat back down.

“Burglary. Car theft. Stealing official documents from the FBI – impressive!”, she smiled. “Kidnapping of a senators daughter. Possession of an illegal drug substance?”.

“Actually those last ones were a two for one”, I laughed. “And it wasn’t so much a kidnapping as great weekend in Vegas. She was fully in to it. We almost got married”. The clerk at the chapel had refused to go through with the ceremony, because he was worried, we were under the influence of drugs. It might have been the smell of the half smoked blunt in my pocket that gave us away. “Stephanie? Tiffany? I can’t remember her name”.

“Melissa”, Flag said from behind Waller.

“Right. Melissa!”, I smirked. “You could bounce a nickel of her ass. Was she an ex of yours?”, I smiled at him. He scoffed.

Waller continued. “You’ve avoided arrest on most of your charges; I suppose, due to your condition”.

“My ability to _smile_ ”, I said.

“Yes, that’s right. Before you become invisible, you purr and _smile_. Is there a reason for this?”, she goaded me on. I knew it didn’t make any sense to be secretive, so I decided to be up front with her.

“I don’t know. That’s just how it is. When I need to disappear, my body vibrates, which sounds like a purr. The smile is what sends signals to my brain, to bend light around my body, or an object I’m touching; which then becomes invisible. Serotonin, dopamine… whatever. It works”. I sighed. “Where are we going with this?”.

“Task Force X, under the day to day leadership of Colonel Flag, has an opening. I want you to fill that spot”.

“Why?”, I asked, genuinely wondering.

“Because making things and people disappear is handy, in some of the missions the Force may have coming up”.

“But what is in it for me?”

“10 years of your sentence, per mission”, Waller replied, and closed the file.

“What sentence? I haven’t done anything in a long time”, I said, voice shaking lightly.

“16 months ago, judge Jeremiah Kelper disappeared for a week, before an anonymous tip led the police to him, bound, bloody and gagged, in a warehouse on Gotham Harbor”. Waller folded her hands in front of her, and met my eyes again. “When he woke up at the hospital, he was ranting about a “ghost” that had drugged him, dragged him to the warehouse; and held him for days, tied to a chair. The “ghost” had beat him several times with a pipe, and… well, let’s not get further in to that”.

I couldn’t help but smile. “Sounds like someone had it in for him”.

“Sounds like”, Waller half whispered. “I also know that Kelpers records are much cleaner than he is. But then there’s the money”.

“What money”, I asked, looking first at Waller, then up at Flag, who smirked at me.

“1 million dollars, cash, disappeared from a safe at Wayne Tower, two months ago. What did you spend it on?”, he asked.

 _Shit, they got me_ , I thought. “I donated it”.

“Some of it”; Waller said, and reopened the file. “987.000 dollars were donated anonymously to a local shelter for battered women, two days later”.

I leant forward; and Flag quickly took a step towards the table, putting his arm in front of Waller.

“Calm down, soldier”, I said. “From what I hear, The Wayne Foundation matched my donation to the same shelter, not long after”.

“You’re right”, Waller said. “It seems to me, you want to be one of the good guys”. I smirked again. “But you’re not. You’re a villain, Y/N – one of the bad guys. But you can make that badness have a purpose”.

I leant back again, and Flag relaxed, stepping back. He folded his arms – _those arms_ – and leant against the wall, toying with the id-card attached to his t-shirt sleeve.

“Show me what you can do”, Waller demanded.

“I can’t”, I said, looking back at Wallers now surprised face. “I need energy to _smile_ , and for the last – what – month or so, I’ve been living on stale toast and kibble”, I admitted.

“Flag”, Waller said, and the soldier took a candy bar from his pants pocket, and placed it in front of me. With my free hand shaking, I opened the wrapper, and put it to my lips. Taking a bite of the heavenly chocolate, feeling the wonderful sensation of sugar rushing through my system; I moaned.

“Mhmm”. Flag stepped back to wall again, looking uncomfortable at my sounds. I couldn’t help myself. “Got anything else in those pants for me?”, I purred; and as he quickly looked away from my face, I _smiled_.

Touching the table with my free hand, it went away in a mist, making the file folder look as if it was floating in midair. Wallers eyes went wide. I kicked of one slipper, touching the floor with my bare foot, and suddenly, the floor was gone, leaving the three of us as if standing on clear glass.

Looking down, I saw a cell, no bigger than my own had been, though better furnished; with a cot, a toilet, a couple of nudie posters, and a tiny table. In the middle of the room stood a rugged looking man, clutching a toy unicorn in his arms. He looked up, eyes large; before looking towards Waller. He smiled widely, gold tooth gleaming, and though I couldn’t hear what he was saying, it was clear it was along the lines of “I see London, I see France, I see Wallers underpants”. Waller crossed her legs quickly, and looked at me, with a mix of horror and excitement plastered on her face.

“Enough!”, she shouted.

That’s when I made myself disappear before their eyes.

Flag and Waller looked around the room trying to find me, before Flag ran across the invisible floor, towards the chair, grabbing for what I guess he thought would be my shoulder, but ended up being my right breast. Confused at the softness, his brow furrowed.

My energy gave out. The floor, the table, and lastly my body, reappeared. Realizing where his hand was, Flag jumped back, looking at his hand, face reddening. “Thanks for that”, I smiled at him flirtatiously. He turned his back to me and clenched his guilty hand into a fist.

“I think I’ve seen everything I need to”, Waller said, standing back up again, picking up the folder. “Training starts tomorrow. Once the colonel has calmed down a bit, he’ll make sure you get a proper meal”. She went for the door.

“Waller!”, I stopped her dead in her tracks. “Tell me, did Kelpers balls ever pop back down?”.

She smiled crookedly at me. “I hear he’s going to need some reconstructive surgery”.

She walked out the door, leaving me with Flag.

Flag unlocked the cuffs, and pulled me up. “Think you’ll be able to walk yourself this time?”.

I leant towards him, putting my hands on his chest. _Fuck, you’re firm_ , I thought.

“I might need a little help. Feel free to grab a hold of me anywhere”, I beamed at him.

Flag roughly put my arms behind my back, and cuffed them together. “Let’s go, kitten”, he scoffed, and pushed me in front of him, out of the door. My friends The Tweedles were waiting outside. “Get her back to her cell. Make sure the lights are on until 2200 hours. And get her a proper meal”.

As Tweedle Dee and Dum supported my still weak body walking down the hall, I looked back at Flag.

“You like me”, I flirted, and his face reddened again, before he turned around, and walked in the opposite direction.


	4. Chapter 4

I was taken to a shower room. With no other exit than the door we came in through, it seemed the Tweedles felt it would be safe enough to leave me alone in there.

I showered for an eternity. The water was hardly warm, and it smelled moldy in the room, but I didn’t care. I let the water run over me, scrubbed every inch of my body with a bar of soap on a string. I ran my hand down my injured ribs, and winced at the pain. Remembering Flags hand touching that same spot but an hour before, I smiled to myself. His touch then had been gentle, and my mind wandered into a more pleasant direction. A bang on the door interrupted my train of thought.

“Finish up!”, a voice called. I turned off the water.

A clean set of clothes had been laid out. Another tank top, this one not cut into pieces, a clean set of underwear, and a pair of orange pants, with much too long legs for me. I folded them up, to right bellow my knees, and finally put on the slip-on shoes that completed the outfit.

Calling out, I let the twins know I was ready.

* * *

After eating the mac’n’cheese and jello that was pushed through the hatch in the door, I slept deeper than I ever had, on the small cot that had appeared in my cell, while I was being questioned – or recruited, I wasn’t sure which it was. The last thing I saw before drifting of, was loose wire hanging from the corner of the ceiling, where the thermal camera had once been. I wasn’t being watched anymore.

\---

I woke up to the sound of the door being unlocked; I sprang up from where I had been laying, fully awake, and on high alert. Two guards stepped in to the room. Not Flags men.

 _What the fuck is this?_ , I panicked, and took a stance, preparing for a fight.

Grabbing me by the wrists, they spun me around, locking my arms behind me. They held me like this, as Griggs stepped into the room, and looked me up and down.

“You look even better clean, puss”, he leered at me.

I lifted my knee, and stomped down onto the foot of the guard to my right. Letting go of my arm, he yelped; and I swung my arm, punching Griggs in the face.

Covering his mouth with a scream, he then slapped me hard, making my ears ring.

“You goddamn bitch”, he said, blood running from his busted lip. I laughed at him; and made to get another hit in, when the second guard holding me, kicked me behind my knee; making me lose balance, and topple over.

Laying face down on the ground, someone put a knee on my back, holding me down, as my ankles and wrists were put in cuffs. Spewing all of the worst profanities I knew, I then twisted my neck, biting at the guard holding down my shoulders. I narrowly missed him, and another hand held my head down, making my forehead meet the concrete.

“Watch it, dumbass. We need her whole!”, Griggs spat. He pulled a sack over my head.

They carried me like this, down the corridor, as I screamed and cussed. _This isn’t supposed to happen_ , I thought. _Where’s Flag? Waller, even?_.

I hadn’t officially accepted Wallers “offer” of joining her circus. Was this payback for my little stunt yesterday? Was I being sent back to Gotham? Or were they taking me somewhere to end my suffering.

A sharp pain in my ribs – from a boot, I figured – made me consider whether euthanasia wouldn’t be a kinder fate.

A door opening and closing behind us. The temperature changed. The air was damp, and the sack on my head stuck to my skin, making it difficult to breathe.

I heard the sound of a gate opening. “Freak transport”, Griggs voice called. Laughing.

Another door. I was made to stand, and my feet were uncuffed. I heard the sound of hip hop music. More musical torture? Metallic clanking, and I was pushed forward harshly, almost falling over.

“Get that shit of her”, Flags voice said. _Thank God_.

“Careful. This one has sharp teeth”, Griggs said; and someone pulled the sack of my head.

Blinking, adjusting to the light; I examined the room. About 100 yards deep, 50 yards wide. From the looks of it, an old indoor basketball court. My calculations turned out to be right, as a tall, dark man, wearing the same outfit as my own, was shooting hoops at the end of the room, never missing one throw. He turned in my direction, and looked at me, then Griggs busted lip, and laughed to himself.

In one corner a large figure, wearing a hoodie, sat with his back to me, watching BET on a small flat screen. In another, a man covered from head to toes in tattoos – I could tell, as he wasn’t wearing a shirt, or shoes – was doing pushups.

Flag walked up from behind me, staring me down.

“Welcome to the gym”. He took out a set of keys, and uncuffed my hands. “I can handle it from here”, he said to Griggs.

“Are you sure, sir? She seems cranky”, Griggs answered, and put his hand on the gun in his belt.

“I’m sure, asshole. If we need anything, I’ll let you know. Now get”.

“Dick”, Griggs muttered, and walked out the large door we had come through. The metallic sound started, and then made a last large clank, as it shut behind him and his guards.

Flag examined my face, and stroked his fingers across the small cuts on my forehead, from my former spat with the guards.

“You need to be careful, kitten. I won’t always be around; so if you piss them off again, I might not be able to help you”.

“You weren’t there to help me this time, and I made out fine on my own”, I retorted.

Flag moved his hand down to my belly, looking at the blood on my top, lightly touching it.

“I can see that”, he said, removed his hand, and continued. “You ripped your stitches”.

“I’m fine”, I pouted.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is our newest team member”, Flag called out. “Y/N Y/L/N. Also known as Chess”.

The man with the basketball, turned around, and made a final throw over his shoulder; and the ball went straight into the hoop, then bounced away across the floor.

The tattooed man stopped his workout, and walked towards us.

“Croc, did you hear me? Get your ass over here”, Flag shouted.

The large figure turned of his television, got up, and walked towards us, pulling the hood off his head. For a second, I was tempted to run, or even do something as embarrassing as hide behind Flag. The tall mans face was covered in what looked like scales; and it took me a hot second to realize that was his actual skin.

 _Killer Croc_. I’d heard of him.

“Don’t worry, cher’. I ain’t gonna bite”, he growled at me; showing his terrifying teeth, in what I guess was supposed to be a smile. In spite of his appearance and reputation; I instantly felt calmer, from his use of the _cher’_ endearment. It reminded me of Sammy.

 _Sammy_. “What happened to the owner of the club?”, I asked, voice shaking.

“He’s fine”, Flag answered. “I bumped him on the head a bit, when he tried to stop me from going after you. But I left a large tip for him. He’ll be able to make next months payment to whichever scumbag is using their protection scheme on him”.

I exhaled, relieved.

“And my cats?”, I remembered, panic returning.

“Your neighbor has them. Don’t worry”.

Good. Selina was sweet, though a bit kooky; and she seemed to love cats, more than even I did.

“All your loose ends are tied up, and as long as you behave, they’ll stay that way”.

I raised my eyebrows at him. “You are using my cats to blackmail me?”, I asked.

“Yes”, he answered shortly, and smirked.

By now, the three men were gathered in front of me.

“Where the hell is Harley and Digger?”, Flag called.

“Harley had feminine things to do”, basketball guy answered, before being interrupted by a shrill voice.

“Flag! The british guy was watching me on the toilet again!”. A curvaceous but lean woman appeared in a doorway to my right. She was dragging the rugged looking unicorn man, by his ear; storming towards us.

“I’m Australian, you crazy bitch”, he yelped; and she yanked him by his ear to the ground, putting a foot on his neck.

“Whatever. Do it again, and I’ll punch you in your kangaroo pouch!”, the woman hissed, and kicked him in the chest, before walking over to us. Once she saw me, her face instantly went from murderous to gleeful, and she reached out her hand to greet me.

“Harley Quinn. Pleased to make your acquaintance”, she said; grabbing my hand, and pulling me in to a tight hug.

Surprised, I simply patted her back, and then pulled away.

“You smell nice”, she whispered in my ear, before stepping back to join the others.

I was suddenly terrified and ecstatic at once. _The queen of Gotham_. It was like meeting actual royalty; if that royalty was crazy as hell, and had access to weapons.

They stood there; a motley crew of deadly weirdos, smiling and/or grimacing at me.

“Diablo. Deadshot. Killer Croc. Harley Quinn. Captain Boomerang. This is Chess”.

Basketball mans – correction, Deadshots – eyes lit up.

“You’re the invisible girl”.

“That’s her”, Flag answered.

“Can you talk for yourself, mami?”, asked the tattooed man – Diablo.

“I always thought a woman should be seen and not heard”, said Digger.

I _smiled_ , disappeared, and the next thing he knew, he was back on the floor, wincing in pain, from my knee on his back. I leant towards his ear, still invisible.

“Are you sure about that?”, I purred, and dug my nails into the skin of his neck.

He yelped, turning around quickly; and I fell back, landing on my butt, before I sprang up, to stand next to Flag. Only then I made myself visible again.

Digger scrambled to get to his feet, and stepped towards me; a sneer on his face.

Flag stepped in front of me spreading his arms, as if protecting me. _What is up with this guy?_ , I thought.

Deadshot stepped forward to face Digger, and Croc took a hold of his arms, holding him in place.

“Stay cool, man”, Deadshot said. “Looks like we’re going to be working with this lady now, so you need to back of”.

Digger settled down, but not before shooting me a look I couldn’t figure out whether was angry, or strangely aroused.

Flag turned to face me. “That wasn’t very smart”, he smiled.

“What? He has a mouth on him”, I answered.

“The last guy who used that sentence, lost his spot on this team in a pretty bad way. The spot you are now going to fill”. He went to stand next to me again, folding his arms across his torso.

“What happened to him?”, I asked.

“We don’t talk about it”, Harley pouted. “It was kind of gross. Speaking of which! Did you get yours yet?”. She sprang forward, putting her hand on my neck, as if searching for something.

“That’s the next step”, Flag said. He reached for his belt, and pulled out a strange looking gun.

None of the crew in front of me would look me in the eyes. Only Deadshot furrowed his brow, and kept eye contact with me; then pushing his lips into a thin line, before mouthing _sorry_.

Flag put the gun to my neck, and before I had time to react with anything more than a gasp, he pulled the trigger, and a sharp pain – there one second, gone the next – spread throughout the skin around the wound he’d made.

He let me go, lowered the gun, before meeting my eyes with a pained look. “It’s official”, he said, and put the gun into its holster.

I stood there. Mouth agape. Confused.

Deadshot stepped forward, patted my shoulder once, and then walked back towards the basketball.

“Welcome to the Suicide Squad”, he called out, made a shot, and the ball went into the hoop again.


	5. Chapter 5

I rubbed my neck, trying to figure out what the hell had just happened.

“Did you just microchip me, like some animal?”, I asked.  
“Something like that”, Flag said, and pulled a radio from his belt. “GQ, get the crate”, he spoke into it, and walked towards the door.

Diablo went to get a t-shirt, hanging over a chair, and put it on. “They got us rigged with some dynamite shit”, he said, and started stretching his shoulders.  
“Big boom”, Digger said, emulating an explosion coming from his neck. “Knocked String Boys head clean of”.  
“Slipknot”, Diablo corrected him.   
“Whatever”, was the answer, as Digger went to lay down on a bench, covering his eyes with his arm; apparently preparing to take a nap.

“Welcome to the family”, Diablo said, smirked at me, and went for a set of dumbbells in his corner.

* * *

Croc had pulled a slice of what looked like day-old pizza, from his hoodies pocket, and was eating it with a terrifyingly pleased face.

Harley – _motherfucking Harley Quinn_ – was muttering quietly to herself, before lighting up in a big smile, exclaiming: “Ants!”, and skipping away to do whatever it is psychopathic criminal overladies do, when no one is watching.

The door behind me opened, and Edwards, whose acquaintance I’d made the day before, came into the gym. Behind him, the Tweedles were dragging a large box.   
Edwards and Flag exchanged a few hushed words; and Flag gazed over his shoulder to meet my eyes, before looking back at his subordinate.  
“… hope they’re ready”, was all I could make out from their conversation; and chills ran down my spine.

They put the box on the floor in front of me. Flag bent to unlock it, and his t-shirt rode up a bit, revealing some bruises and scratches on his lower back and hip.  
“Get into a fight?”, I smirked.  
“Just a feral cat”, he answered, smiling over his shoulder. Apparently, I’d gotten in enough punches, to make him feel it even now, quite a while later.

He opened the lid.  
“Here’s your shit. If you want to change, there’s a bathroom through that door”, he said, nodding towards the door Harley and Digger had come through. “Just be careful; you might get an audience. Which reminds me”.   
He walked over to where Digger lay; and kicked at the bench, making the peeping tom fall of it.  
“Hey jackass! Stop being creepy, and let people shit in peace”.  
Digger scrambled onto his legs, and made a mock salute. “Sir, yes, sir!”, he boomed, and laid back down, muttering curses under his breath.

“Ladies don’t shit, colonel. We powder our noses”, Harleys voice came from somewhere. Looking up, I saw that she was hanging upside down from a rope, one leg intertwined with it. Twirling her ponytails, she winked at me, before blowing a large bubble with the pink gum in her mouth.

Croc had pulled out a second slice from his pocket, and was chewing away. His enjoyment of the snack was almost obscene. He nodded towards the box in front of me.  
“What you got in there?”, he asked.  
I rifled through the things, recognizing some of my own belongings. It was now I realized that none of the crew were wearing all prison garb. Diablo had a bluish varsity jacket hanging from a chair, and Deadshots sneakers were definitely not prison grade; I could tell from the high-end label on the side.

The other three were also wearing some sort of personal addition to the orange pants and tank top, provided by Belle Reve. For Croc, it was his brown velvet hoodie; and Digger had on a coat that looked like it desperately needed a washing.  
Harley had on a pair of striped pink and blue shorts, held up by suspenders. The shorts barely covered her ass, and showed of the many tattoos on her legs.

Taking my favorite band t-shirt out of the box, I noticed it still had some cat hair stuck to it, from my beloved babies at home. _Selina, I’m trusting you to take good care of them_ , I thought.  
I put the shirt on the floor beside me, and continued to go through the box. A polaroid of me on stage, my first night at Sammy’s; my copy of Alice In Wonderland; a pair of hot pink socks, I’d knitted myself; an oversized greyish flannel shirt, I’d stolen from an ex; some makeup and black nail polish, in a black purse; and a pair of broken, furry handcuffs – _Ahh, Vegas_ , I smiled.  
Finally, I pulled out a small stuffed bunny, I’d won at a travelling fair, a few weeks before I’d been taken by Hatter. I stroked its tiny face, and discretely kissed its head. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Digger looking at me, sending me a friendly smirk and nod. I smiled back.

I kept searching through the box.  
“Looking for something?”, Flag said from behind me.  
“Where are my smokes?”, I sighed.   
“There were no cigarettes in the box when it arrived”, Flag answered me. He’d already gone through it.

A large scaly hand offered me a pack of Marlboro Lights, and looking up at Croc with a thankful smile; I took one of the cigarettes, and popped it in my mouth. “Anyone have a light?”.  
Diablos hand appeared in front of my face; pinky stretched. A tiny flame burned from it, taking me by surprise; and I half laughed, half guffawed, as I lit the cigarette.

“I knew you could do that!”, Harleys shrill voice sounded. Her head appeared next to mine, and she rested her chin on my shoulder. She smelled like bubblegum and cotton candy, and for a hot second I was tempted to turn my head and lick her face.

“Who the hell gave Croc access to cigarettes?”, Flag muttered to Deadshot. “You know how he gets when he runs out, and goes cold turkey!”.  
“You’re telling me, man. There’s still a hole in the wall between his and my cell, from when he ran his fist through it”, Deadshot smirked.

“Ooh! What’s that?”, Harley asked, and reached in to the box, revealing a false bottom. I removed the thin board of metal.

_There you are!_

Surrounded by the whole crew – a curious Digger having joined us – I picked up a black, cropped and hooded faux leather jacket. The pleather was undamaged still, and putting it on, I pulled up the hood, and closed the zipper.   
With the help of the hood and the large collar, my face disappeared into shadows.   
Flag looked at me, lifting his chin; staring me down. His gaze made me slightly uncomfortable – or was it stirred? – and I took off the jacket again.

A loose purple, off the shoulder crop top; and a pair of black, high waist, lycra and mesh leggings completed the outfit.   
Finding my favorite combat boots in the box, I only needed one thing.

I moved around rope, a crowbar, some lockpicks, and a hammer and chisel.  
There they were. My claws.

“Cute mittens”, Harley giggled, and grabbed for the black fingerless gloves.  
“Careful!”, I gasped, and quickly grasped them.  
Harley pouted. “What? You don’t like sharing your toys?”.

I put on the gloves, made a fist; and from my knuckles sprang 4 curved knives.   
Edwards and the twins quickly raised their guns at me, prepared to shot, if I tried anything. I rolled my eyes, and noticed Flag trying to hide a smile.

Picking up an old sock, I demonstrated the blades sharpness, by cutting through it. The knives went through the fabric like butter; and Harleys eyes widened.  
“Oh”, was all she said, after which she took a step back; and went to stand behind Deadshot.  
“Lady, you got some sharp nails there”, he said, and chuckled.

“You still know how to use them?”, Flag asked, not removing his eyes from the blades on my hands.   
I just smirked.

I went to stand by the wall. I could feel eyes on my back from my audience.  
I bent my knees; and then leaped. I grasped the wall with the claws, and started climbing upwards. At the top of the wall was a row of tiny windows.  
“Don’t do it, Y/N!”, Flag called, as I heard the soldiers cock their guns.   
I looked over my shoulder, winked at him; and _smiled_.

I quickly moved laterally on the wall. Gunshots sounded, and the wall beside me suddenly was full of holes.  
“Hold your fire! Hold your goddamn fire!”, Flag yelled desperately.  
The gunfire stopped, and I made myself reappear; hanging by my claws from the basketball hoop on the opposite wall.   
One of the Tweedles cocked his gun again; and everything after that happened in slow motion.

The soldier took aim at me; looking pissed. From out of nowhere, Flag jumped at him; knocking him to the ground.  
The gun went off; bullet narrowly missing my head – and I fell.

\---

I landed on my back; the wind knocked out of me.  
I closed my eyes, and heard people running towards me. I felt a strong arm under my back, and a hand behind my head.  
“Y/N”, Flags shaking voice called out. “Come on kitten, wake up”, he whispered into my ear, his breath warm against my neck.

I opened my eyes, seeing his face inches from mine, mouth slightly opened to speak again. I suddenly noticed there were specks of green in his brown eyes.

I blinked once.  
“Are you gonna kiss me now?”, I asked, and smiled crookedly.

Flag let go of me, and pulled back, lips now in a thin line. He stood up, and stormed towards the shooting twin. He grabbed his collar; and slammed him against the wall.  
“What the fuck is your problem? Do you not know how to follow an order?”.  
The soldier put his hands up. “Sir, she was going awol!”.  
“She is an asset. Wallers asset!”. Flag punched Tweedle in the gut; making him double over. “Get this asshole out of here”, he called to Edwards and the other twin; who dragged the panting soldier out of the room, Flag following them to the door, still cursing.

Deadshot crouched in front of me, holding his hand in front of my face, a couple of fingers raised.  
“How many fingers am I holding up?”, he asked.  
“What are fingers?”, I joked; making him chuckle again.

He helped me onto my feet. “You are a hard one to kill, Chess”.  
“Nah”, I answered. “I can die plenty. I think my secret is, I just really don’t want to”, I said, and stretched my arms into the air, feeling my bones pop.

“Why didn’t you run? You could have made it through the window”, Diablo asked from behind Deadshot.  
“I wouldn’t have made it half a mile. I’m spent”, I answered. “I need energy to _smile_ , and they’ve had me living on cat food for a month. Only just had a real meal yesterday”.  
“Que cabrón”, Diablo spat.

Politely refusing one of Crocs pocket-pizza slices; I went back to my box of belongings. Kneeling beside it, I quickly changed into the band t-shirt. It had been a snug fit once; but my kibble-diet had made it quite a bit looser.

Flag crouched next to me.  
“You good?”. He didn’t look at me, but kept his eyes on the ground. “That wasn’t supposed to happen”.  
I scoffed. “I’m fine. Just a few more bruises to add to the collection”.  
Flag exhaled. “You can keep the civilian clothes, and three items from the top layer of the box. Your combat equipment will be stored for you, until you need it”. He stood back up. “The rest will be destroyed”.

I scowled at him, and stood up, putting my hands on my hips; swaying back and forth a bit, deciding; then bent over, and started gathering the things I’d chosen. I felt his eyes on me.  
“Checking out the asset?”, I teased.

“Could you just for a second stop that shit? Stop flirting, and start being serious about the situation you are in!”, he growled at me.  
“Why? Am I getting in to your head?”, I twirled around, and pouted at him innocently.

He shook his head, and furrowed his brow, scoffing at me.  
“Just quit it, and do the job we brought you here to do”.

I stepped up to him, and looked him square in the face.  
“I’ll quit it, when you quit that good soldier bullshit”, I spat. “You had no right to go after me, and no right to keep me here”.

“I have every right”, he said calmly, staring down his nose at me. “You’re a scumbag. A criminal. The world would be better if you just disappeared”.  
“Oh?”, I asked; not breaking eye contact. “Tell me, what’s the difference between me and the Bat? That asshole is beating up people left and right; no badge, no warrant… He decides who he thinks is a bad guy, and drags them to the front step of Arkham, or airdrops them in to this shithole”.

I stomped away to grab the sack that had been over my head earlier. I stuffed the book, the makeup-purse, and finally the rabbit into it.   
I saw Deadshot and the others huddled in a corner; obviously trying to give me some space; and pretending not to be staring at the scene.

Flag stormed after me, grabbed my arm, and spun me around; holding me in place, as I struggled.  
“You are nothing like him. He brings down criminals. You kidnap judges, and torture them”. His face was inches from mine. “He has never stolen money from anyone”.  
“Maybe that’s because he is already the richest man in the goddamn country!”, I hissed at him. I looked at the squad in the corner. They didn’t seem to have heard.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”, Flag asked, and let go of my arm.  
I rubbed the spot he’d been holding on to.  
“Never mind”, I quietly answered, not wanting to get into it. The papers I’d seen in Lucius Fox’ safe, had made me put two and two together; but as I’d told Deadshot before, I really didn’t want to die – so mr. holier-than-thou Waynes secret, was safe with me. That was one wasps nest I was _not_ putting my hand into.

Flags face had softened. “What happened with judge Kelper?”.  
“Your read the file”, I answered, not looking at him. “I kicked his ass”.  
“Before that”, he demanded. “What made you do it? If you’re not a bad guy, you must have had a reason”.  
I closed the box, and sat down on it.  
“Truth?”, I asked. He nodded.

“Kelper would show up at the club sometimes – slumming it. I knew who he was, because he was the judge at an arraignment, where I was charged with pickpocketing for the Hatter”. I folded my hands in my lap.  
“Someone caught _you_ pickpocketing?”, he smirked, a slight warmth returning to his eyes.  
“Tetch hadn’t fed me in a couple of days. When my bloodsugar is low, and my energy is down, it’s difficult to keep up the mirage”, I admitted.   
“Anyway, Kelper would bring in whoever he was paying off, to further his political career, and wave money around; getting the performers to join them at their table. I was stupid enough to take some of it myself”. I winced; remembering how I’d sat on his lap, and played the part of willing participant in his little erotic adventure.  
Flag looked down.  
“I never let it go any further than a lapdance”, I said, actually worried he’d think even less of me than he already did.

“So, then what?”, he asked.  
I bit my lip. “Did you know he’s married? He’s got a beautiful trophy wife, and two teenage daughters, almost out of high school. Cheerleaders, blonde. Ditsy as fuck, but on their way to bright futures, due to daddys money, and mommys good looks”.  
“But?...”, he probed.

I sighed. “There was a girl at the club, Sarah, just turned 18; poor family, desperately trying to scrape up some money for college. One night, he invited her to join him and his _friends_ in their limo. He said he’d give her a ride home, and maybe a recommendation for college”.  
Flags eyes turned cold again. I continued.  
“He kept calling her Stephanie, even when she tried to correct him”. I looked up at him. He was looking more and more aggravated.  
“She didn’t show up for work the next day, so I went to her place”. I ground my teeth together, before continuing. “Her mom told me she was in the hospital. When Sarah had refused to put out willingly, Kelper had held her down... When he was finished with her, he’d let his friends have the leftovers”.

I looked at my feet.  
“His youngest daughters name is Stephanie”.

I was jolted, when Flag kicked the box I was sitting on; clenching his fist, and cursing quietly.  
“Sorry”, he said, looking at me. I was unsure what the apology was for; the kick, or my story.

I stood up.  
“So, now you know. I beat that shitheads face into a pulp, clawed his skin; and made sure he’d never be able to do that to another person again”. Flag stayed quiet.

I picked up my sack of belongings, and went to face him again.  
“And just for the record, that last 13.000 dollars… Sarahs mom couldn’t afford the hospital bill, and became behind on the payments. They almost got kicked out of their apartment the week before I raided that safe”.

We stood there for a little while, staring each other down.

“I’m sorry that happened”, Flag said. He sighed. “Unfortunately, that doesn’t change the situation you’re in. You’re going to have to be a part of this team, if you want to ever get your life back”. He was almost apologetic.  
“I know”, I admitted. “And for the record; I am a bad guy”, I said. “A really good bad guy”.  
Flag smirked at me, and moved to the middle of the room. Apparently, our conversation was over.

\---

“Alright people! Unfortunately, we won’t have a lot of time to get acquainted with our newest team member”, he called, grabbing the attention of the rest of the squad. “We have a new mission”.  
“That was fast”, Deadshot said.  
“Sorry, Floyd. You’re going to have to take a rest from the ball, and reacquaint yourself with your guns”, Flag answered.

“So. Here’s the brief…”.


	6. Chapter 6

“St. Roch, Louisiana. We’re staying in our own backyard”. Flag was reading from a tablet; as we were taken through a long hallway, leading from the cellblock, to what seemed to be a large garage.

I had a guards pistol aimed at me, as it’s owner followed my every move, with cold eyes.

I had spent the rest the day before, trying to wrap my mind around my new situation.

I was officially a prisoner at Belle Reve – a high security penitentiary, in the sweatiest asscrack of the Louisiana swamps. I was there for the kidnapping and assault of judge Jeremiah Kelper. 

The assault and maiming had been of such a horrible nature, that I was committed to this facility, without trial. My conviction was a formality, as I apparently confessed to the guards of Belle Reve, the night of my arrival.

I was to serve life, without parole.

There was no mention of the incident in Wayne Tower in my file.

Unofficially, I was the newest member of Task Force X, a top-secret group of meta-humans, and people with exceptional skills, required to complete missions of a classified nature.

These individuals also happened to all be convicted felons, and the scum of the earth.

* * *

There was Floyd Lawton; a.k.a. Deadshot. The man who never missed a shot. During dinner – sloppy joes, yum… – he’d shown me a picture of a cute 8 year old girl, who had his eyes.

“She’s a bit older now, writes me every day. She just got an A on her biology report!”, he’d exclaimed proudly. It was clear Floyd loved his daughter, more than anything.

Killer Croc – Waylon Jones. He was huge, terrifying; and made me feel safer than I had in weeks, just by his presence. Croc – as he insisted on being called – had won me over, by calling me _cher’_.

I’d talked to him about Sammy, and recounted some of the trucker stories he’d told me.

After Croc’d told me he’d once eaten a truckdriver, he said: “I’m glad it wasn’t your boss. He seems like a decent guy”.

I’d been surprised by the gentle and kind demeanor of Chato Santana; or, Diablo, as they called him. I’d seen a videoclip on the news once, of him torching a group of inmates at a prison he was held at. I thought he’d be a hothead – pun intended – but he turned out to be calm and remorseful about his violent past.

Harley. Now, she was a different story. She was about as calm as a puppy on poppers. She also seemed to have no remorse for anything she’d done, as the sidekick and girlfriend of the Joker. I was equal parts terrified and enthralled by her person.

She’d spent most of the rest of the day, singing lullabies to a picture of a hyena, and doing her nails. Once, she’d disappeared for about an hour, before returning to her former activities, with a satisfied smile plastered over her pretty face.

We soon discovered what Harley had been doing, when the napping Digger Harkness – Captain Boomerang, the australian – suddenly screamed; jumping up and down, scratching at his body.

“Ants! Bloody fire ants!”, he’d yelped with a shrill voice; running towards the bathroom.

He’d returned a while later, shaking his coat, and sending the giggling Harley a deadly look. His arms and neck were covered in tiny and angry red welts; that he’d scratched at for the rest of the day.

This was my new family. I was very aware that none of us had chosen to be here, but it seemed that we were all determined to make the best of it, until such an opportunity arose, that we’d be able to leave.

Apparently, Harley had tried to run multiple times – even having made it back to the Clown; and stayed of the grid for a few months, before arriving back at Belle Reve, with a pair of roller skates, and a taxidermized beaver.

I didn’t know when or if I’d be able to escape; so for now, I decided to settle in.

\---

In the middle of the large garage stood a helicopter the size of a tank. In front of it stood six crates; each of our names written on the side of one of them.

The rest of the squad seemed to know the procedure. They opened their crates, and dug through them. Flag paced back and forth in front of us, carrying a machinegun.

“You know the deal”, he hollered. “Three weapons. Two ranged, one for close combat. Croc and Diablo, you are both the exceptions”. No weapons for them, I guessed.

“Oy, colonel”, Digger called.

“No, Digger”, Flag answered, before the aussie had a chance to ask. “Boomerangs do not count as close range, though they can be used as such. You bring two. No more”. Digger cursed under his breath.

They’d all been through this before. I couldn’t help but feel like it was the first day of school, and that I’d forgotten my backpack at home.

“You alright?”, Floyd asked from behind me.

“Yeah”, I answered. “It’s just…new. How do you do this? How do you work for these people, who treat you like shit, and then demand that you risk your lives for them?”. I bent to open my crate, and started going through the equipment in it.

“Look”, said Floyd. “Ain’t none of us here who wants to be here. Except for maybe Harley”, he smiled, and looked at the person in question.

She was swinging an oversized fairground hammer, almost knocking over a soldier who was busy checking out her ass.

“We do this, because we have to, for one reason or another”. He looked at me seriously. “I’m here for my little girl. Every time I finish one of these missions, I’m one step closer to seeing her again; and to show her that her daddy’s not a monster”.

I pulled out my jacket, stood up, and looked at it.

“You find whatever reason you need to do this, but make sure it’s important enough, not just to survive for, but to live for”, Floyd finished, patted my shoulder, and walked away.

I sighed and returned to my crate. I had no idea what in my life was important enough to live for at this point.

I didn’t have a family to protect or impress. That had all ended after Hatter had entered my life.

Sammy… he was a friend, but he’d be better of if I didn’t return. Ever.

That left my cats. But they were fine where they were.

So what?

I was interrupted in my train of thought by Flag, who suddenly appeared next to me.

“Hey. You need to get ready. Liftoff in 10”.

“Sir, yes, sir”, I retorted, and rolled my eyes.

I went behind a tall crate to change into my outfit. Leggings, top, boots, jacket; and finally, my claws. I tested the knives once, against the crate in front of me, carving through the thin metal easily.

Retracting the claws, I went to join the others.

Flag stopped me before I had a chance to enter the chopper with the rest of the crew.

“One last thing, Chess”, he said, and pulled out a strange looking harness, made out of some synthetic material and wires.

“What’s that?”, I asked, skeptically.

“This is an armed device, that will explode, should you decide to… _smile_ , without being ordered to do so, by myself”.

I looked him, dumbfounded. “You’re gonna blow me up if I go invisible?”, I guffawed.

“No”, he answered. “I’ll blow that nano-bomb in your neck if you try to run away. This device will explode on it’s own, whenever its sensors recognize that you are using your powers”.

I shook my head, confused.

“If I’m not here to do that, then why _am_ I here?”.

Flag used a strange key to unlock the harness.

“After what happened yesterday…” he started. I interrupted him.

“You mean when I _didn’t_ run away?”, I spat.

He was unmoved by my exclamation.

“After what happened yesterday”, he repeated, “Waller seems to think it would be better if I take control of when you should… do your thing. You’ll be able to make things you touch invisible, as usual; but you cannot disappear yourself”.

He held up the newest addition to my outfit, to let me put it on.

“From now on, you will be wearing this whenever you are not in your cell. I can disarm the device at any time, for as long as I deem necessary”.

I stepped back, shaking my head.

“No”.

Flag frowned.

“Put it on”, he said, a slight edge to his voice.

“No”, I repeated, and crossed my arms in front of me.

Flag exhaled through his nose.

“Put it on, or I’ll put it on you myself”, he growled. I tilted my head, and raised my eyebrows at him.

“Is that a promise?”, I asked.

He raised his chin, and looked down at me.

“I can have one of GQs men do it”.

I ripped the harness from his hands, and begun to put it on; trying to figure out where each strap was supposed to go.

There were two straps, one going over each shoulder. One strap went around my torso, from my back to my front. Holding it all together, was one last strap, starting from my back, going down between my legs, and connecting with the others, on the middle of my chest.

Flag grabbed the straps in front of me, connecting them to a round disc, with a small red light in the middle. He tightened the harness as much as he could, making me bump against him; and locked the disc with the key.

“You go invisible; you die. You try to take it off; you die. You even think of trying to steal the key, guess what…”.

“I die?”, I jestered.

“You die”, he answered.

I tried to move around in the strange contraption.

“How am I supposed to pee in this?”, I asked angrily.

“We’ll climb that mountain when we get to it”, he answered, and turned his back to me, walking away.

“Old Fashioned”, I called after him. He turned around.

“What?”, he asked.

“If you’re gonna ride me this hard, it’s only polite to buy me a drink”, I said; turned my back to him, and walked away to join the squad.

\---

Landing in St. Roch, our first destination was an old gas station just outside of town. It was abandoned by its owners; probably due to the explosions going off less than a mile away.

“You have your orders”, Flag called. “We go in discretely, locate our target, and take them out”.

“It’s probably going to be more complicated than that”, Diablo muttered next to me. Croc growled in agreement.

“You know, Flag, we’d probably be even more discrete, if you didn’t have Y/N here tied up like a Christmas ham”, Floyd smirked at him.

Flag frowned.

“This is Chess’ first mission. Let her find her legs before we throw her into it”, he said. “Let’s head out!”.

“Someone’s got a crush”, Harley said in a singsong voice, skipping past me.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”, I asked.

Digger chuckled, and followed her.

“She means, he wants a gander at your map of Tassie”, he winked back at me, and took a swig of the can of beer he’d taken from one of the fridges in the small store.

I shook my head, and feeling a machinegun between my shoulders – I was just thrilled that the Tweedles had joined us on this little fieldtrip – I followed the rest of the group.

Sneaking past a checkpoint – Floyd taking out the inhabitants from afar – we made our way downtown.

I heard crying from behind a dumpster, and stopped to see what it was. A young woman was hiding behind it; shaking in fear.

“Are you ok?”, I asked, reaching a hand towards her.

“Chess!”, Flag called, from a few yards away. “Get your ass over here”.

“She might need help”, I said, and stepped towards the crying woman.

She recoiled from my touch.

“No! Please leave me alone!”, she cried.

Floyd came up behind me.

“She’s afraid of us, Chess”, he said. “Just leave her alone”. He went back to the group, who continued down the street, leaving me alone with Flag and the terrified woman.

I backed away from her, a lump in my throat. Turning around, I walked up to Flag, trying desperately to hold back tears. Behind me, I heard the woman get up, and run down the street, away from us.

I looked up at Flag.

“I wasn’t going to hurt her”, I said quietly.

“I know”, he said shortly. “But she doesn’t”. He made to touch my shoulder; but changed his mind, straightened his back, and turned around.

“Let’s go, kitten”.

We joined the others.

“That was quick”, Harley smiled. “It’s ok, colonel. It happens to all men”.

“Lady, I will rip your pigtails off with my bare hands”, he growled at her, stomping to the front of the group.

“Never happened to me”, Croc winked at Harley, who beamed back at him.

Another checkpoint. Digger took care of this one.

Huddling up behind a couple of cars, we finally saw our target. A lieutenant of Ra’s Al Ghul, who had been stirring up trouble, laying the groundwork for a new stronghold for his master. They had chosen to set up shop in the town square; having tied up a group of around 10 hostages to a statue in the middle.

Flag started barking orders in a hushed voice.

“Alright. Floyd, you got the roofs. Keep in radio contact”. It was clear he trusted Floyd more than the rest of the group.

“Croc, see that van? Make sure anyone in it, and in the immediate vicinity of it, don’t have the chance to warn the target”. Croc went down on all fours, and disappeared into a nearby shrubbery.

“Diablo and Digger. I want you on each side of that building. If they _do_ spot us; I want you to bottleneck them into that alley”, he said, pointing in the direction he meant. “GQ, you and your men join them. One on the flame, two on boomer”. Digger scoffed at the nickname.

“Harley; I want you… actually you just do whatever it is you do, without giving the rest of us away”, he sighed at her.

“Sure thing, boss”, she mock-saluted him. “Go team!”.

“You got your orders. Go!”, he finished; and the group scattered, each to their assigned positions.

“What am I supposed to do?”, I asked, feeling slightly left over.

“You stay on me”, he answered, and looked through his binoculars.

A few minutes went by. Hearing a growl from the direction of Crocs assigned post, I saw blood spatter on the inside of the windows of the van.

I heard Harleys voice yelling; “Batter up!”, followed by a clank and a loud scream.

Some of the lieutenants soldiers began scrambling.

“Goddamnit, Quinn!”, Flag cussed. “You! Stay here!”, he growled at me, and ran in the direction of Harleys voice, leaving behind his binoculars. I picked them up, and looked through them.

In the square, the soldiers were rigging up chains and wires around the hostages. Connected to the wires were multiple red sticks I recognized from movies I’d seen. _Dynamite_.

I looked in the direction Flag had gone. He and Harley were arguing quietly behind a bus.

I looked back at the town square. Our target was walking back and forth in front of the hostages, ranting about something I couldn’t make out.

I tried zooming in with the binoculars. _Military tech for the win_ , I thought, and looked through them again.

In his hand, the lieutenant was holding what seemed to be a tablet. Large numbers read 5:00. The bastard walked up to a teenage boy, who had a stick of dynamite strapped to his chest. He put his hand on his cheek, and said something to him, that made the boy break down in tears. He then pressed a button on the screen. The numbers began to count down.

4:59.

4:58.

4:57…

 _Fuck!_ , I thought, and threw the binoculars on the ground.

Reminded of my harness, I rolled my eyes. Ok. So I couldn’t _smile_. But I did know how to move quietly and quickly. I pulled up my hood, and closed my jacket.

I snuck forward. I heard a gunshot and a grunt behind me, and looked back; seeing an enemy soldier on the ground, a bullet hole right between his eyes. _Thanks, Floyd_ , I smiled up at the roof of a nearby building, seeing Deadshots white hood disappear back into the darkness.

I moved forward again, hiding behind a truck. A stone landed on the ground next to me; and looking in the direction of the thrower, I saw Flag waving at me.

“Get back!”, he mouthed at me angrily. I shook my head, and looked towards the hostages. Continuing forward, I suddenly heard a beep. Looking down, I saw the light on the disc on my chest turn from red to green.

Looking back at Flag – his wrist raised, pushing some buttons on what looked like a watch – I smirked, and nodded at him. _Thanks_ , I thought.

A purr moving through my body; I _smiled_.

Readying my claws, I ran towards the square. A soldier looked in my direction, having heard my movement, but unable to see me. _Oops. Quietly now_ , I thought, and scaled a car next to him, making as little sound as I could.

I saw Digger and the Tweedles running towards a group of soldiers exiting a building. They finished them of quickly, but not before having drawn enough attention to make the lieutenant aware of their presence.

He yelled something I couldn’t I understand, and dropped the tablet he had been holding.

Gunfire sounded, and I ran faster, making my way to the group of hostages.

I reappeared, startling a few of the hostages who screamed at me.

Picking up the tablet from the ground, I desperately began pushing the screen, trying to make the countdown stop.

2:35.

2:34.

2:33…

There was no way I could stop the detonation.

I spun around, ran to the statue, and began pulling at the wires.

“You’ll make it go off!”, the teenage boy from before shouted at me.

I ran to the back of the statue, finding a simple lock, holding together the two ends of the chain intertwined with the wires.

 _This I can handle_ , I smiled, and got out my kit.

I managed to break two of the lockpicks, my hands shaking from the stress of the situation. I looked at the tablet on the ground.

1:01.

1:00.

0:59…

Taking a deep breath, I gave it one more try. _Please, please, please!_.

The lock opened.

I grabbed one end of the chain, and ran with it around the statue, releasing the hostages. The teenage boy carefully pulled at the tape that held the stick of dynamite to his chest, and put the red stick gingerly on the ground.

“Thanks!”, he smiled at me, and ran. I smiled after him.

An elderly woman was having trouble keeping up with the others.

0:37.

0:36.

0:35…

“Just go on”, she yelled at me.

“No!”, I answered, and ran to put her arm around my neck. Stumbling a few steps forward, the woman was suddenly lifted from the ground, screaming, as Croc – with a smile plastered across his gruesome face – ran to safety, the old woman hanging over his shoulder.

 _We did it!_ , I thought, and went to run after him.

Someone grabbed my leg, holding me in place. Looking down, I saw the lieutenant – a gash across his face, and a gunshot to his chest – laughing up at me. His strong hands were holding on to my leg, making it impossible for me to move.

I looked towards the group waiting for me at a safe distance. The hostages were continuing down the street, running towards sirens and blinking lights.

0:15.

0:14.

0:13…

Flag screamed something at me, Edwards and his soldiers holding him back.

I yanked at my leg, desperately trying to get the dying man to let me go.

0:09.

0:08.

0:07…

I lifted my fist and screamed; cutting through my captors arm. He let go with a yelp; and I ran.

0:03.

0.02.

0:01…

0:00.....


	7. Chapter 7

I felt the blast before I heard it. It pushed me into the air, hot and forcefully.

The sound made my ears pop as I flew.

_This is it. I’m dying in a second._

I hit the ground. Blackness.

An eternity went by.

“She’s under that car!”.

“Get a crowbar or something!”.

Metallic screeches. The air smelled like smoke; and I coughed.

* * *

“Chess? Kid? Are you in there?”.

“Mami, say something!”.

“I’m here”, I croaked. I tried to crawl towards the voices, but my foot wouldn’t move.

It was dark around me. Feeling my way with my hands, I felt something like a handle, recognizing it as belonging to a car door.

“Y/N”, I head Flag yell.

I pushed at the door, making a crack to let in some light.

“Croc!”, Flag yelled, and the door was ripped away from over me. I looked up at the squads worried faces. Flag grabbed my arms, trying to get me up.

“I’m stuck”, I wimpered.

Croc, Floyd and Diablo put their backs against the car that pinned my ankle down. Digger and Flag each took one of my arms.

In the background I saw Harley yelling at the soldiers to help.

“1... 2… 3!”, Floyd counted, and the three men pushed at the car, lifting it slightly, allowing the other two to pull me free.

I scrambled forward, ending up in Flags arms.

“Chopper inbound”, Edwards called, and Flag picked me up, carrying me in the direction of rotor sounds.

“Beta Team are clearing out any stragglers. We’re good to liftoff”, Edwards said, as we moved to the chopper.

Setting me down in one of the seats, strapping me in; Flag pulled out a bowie knife, and started cutting open the bottom of my pantleg, and then took of my boot.

“Don’t joke about me ripping your clothes off”, he grumbled; as I tried to hide a smile.

Determining that my ankle was most likely not broken, Flag went to his own seat, and strapped in for the ride back to Belle Reve.

\---

Celebrating a job semi well done, we were granted a case of beer; outdated a few months earlier.

I’d had the chance to wash up, and put on my prisoner clothes, before Flag arrived at my cell, strapping me back up in the harness. I put my flannel over it.

“You don’t want to miss the party”, he’d said, and had a group of guards transport me in a wheelchair to the gym.

I hadn’t seen a doctor for my ankle; which I wasn’t surprised about; but the alcohol, and a couple of little pink “friends” – as Digger had called them, after he pushed them into my hand – made the pain bearable.

Harley had helped me out with a bandage; so sitting there in the wheelchair, drinking the stale beer, leg raised by a folding chair, I was content.

The guards had also “blessed” us with a small karaoke machine, and I was chuckling my way through Diggers strangely erotic rendition of _Waltzing Mathilda._

“And he sang as he sat, and waited while his billy boiled: You’ll come a waltzing Mathilda with meeee”; he moaned; one hand pointing into the air, hips thrusting to what I guessed he thought was the beat of the song.

“You did good, kid”, Floyd said from next to me. “Made a choice probably none of us would”. He took a sip of his own beer.

“I guess so”, I answered.

“Now don’t get me wrong, doll”, he continued. “ _Good_ doesn’t necessarily mean _smart_ ”.

He smirked at me.

“You know you could have died back there”.

“That probably wouldn’t have been good for team morale”, I laughed, and he nodded with a smile.

Harley took over the mic, Digger having fallen from the chair he’d been standing on. Taking a deep breath, she led us into a heavy metal version of _Stand By Your Man_.

Diablo and Croc were arm-wrestling; actually having a pretty even fight, as the tattooed man would let his hand light on fire every time Croc almost had him defeated.

Once Harley started bawling her way through the second chorus, I decided it was time to turn in.

Wishing Floyd a good night, I wheeled my way towards the metal door.

Edwards was standing outside it.

“Boss wants to see you”, he mumbled, cuffed me to the chair, and wheeled me off, out of the building towards some barracks next to the cellblock.

“What does he want?”, I asked.

“Don’t know, don’t care”, was the answer; as he drove me into the building, and down a hallway.

We stopped outside a door. Edwards banged on it.

“Colonel!”.

Flag opened the door. He’d cleaned up too; and was drying his hair with a towel.

“Uncuff her”, he said shortly.

“Sir?”, Edwards said.

“Do it. I’ll bring her back to her cell when we’re done”.

Edwards looked at him questioningly; but began to uncuff me from the chair.

“I’ll radio if I need you”, Flag said, and Edwards left us.

“Come in”; Flag said to me, and moved out of the way, so I could stand, and limp my way into the room.

A bed, a desk, a couple of chairs, and a minifridge were placed up against the walls of his quarters.

It was surprisingly messy. Not dirty in any way, but both chairs had become makeshift closets, and papers were spread across the desk and bed; telling me that Flag literally took his work to bed with him. I chuckled to myself, thinking it must have been a while since anyone had been in here with him.

He cleared one of the chairs and pulled it out for me to sit on.

“I don’t have bitters or ice, so you’ll have to drink it neat”, he said, handing me a glass of amber liquid I instantly recognized as whiskey.

“How’s the ankle?”, he asked, taking a sip from his own glass, and sitting down on the edge of the desk.

“It’s ok. Digger had some fun little pills in his stash, that took the edge of the pain”, I smirked, and took a sip from my glass.

“I’m sure he did”, Flag retorted, almost looking defeated. “It’s like dealing with a kindergarten. And that?”. He nodded at the bandage placed on my foot and ankle, to decrease the swelling. The thing was covered in stickers, and held together by a couple of glitter hairpins.

“Harley”, we said simultaneously, and laughed, our eyes meeting for the first time. For a second all air went out of the room; but then Flag looked down at the floor.

“They didn’t want you in the hospital wing”, he said, still not looking at me.

“I scare them, don’t I?”, I asked, finishing my drink, and putting the glass on top of a stack of files on the desk.

“They’re worried, yeah”. He finished his own drink, and took both glasses away, putting them down next to a bottle on top of the minifridge. “You’re able to disappear at will; and they don’t know you won’t sneak up on them, and slit their throats”.

“Even with this?”, I asked, gesturing towards the belts and wires strapped to my body.

“Yeah. They ain’t exactly geniuses in this joint”, he scoffed.

He went to sit on the other chair, facing me. He wrung his hands; seeming indecisive about something.

“Hey”, I said, biting my lip. “Thanks for not letting me die”. I looked at him, and smiled, trying to ease the tension in the room.

“You’re Wallers newest toy. She would have had my ass if I did”, he answered shortly.

I raised my eyebrows. “Ok. Good talk”. I went to stand, finding it difficult to put weight on my busted ankle.

Limping towards the door, I was about to knock it, hoping a nearby guard would take me back to my cell. At this point, anywhere was better than here.

“You know, I thought were smarter than that, Y/N”, Flag suddenly said, startling me. “Why would you do something so stupid? Putting yourself at risk like that?”.

“What do you mean?”, I wondered.

He chewed at his bottom lip, looking at me angrily. “You threw yourself headfirst into that situation; almost got yourself killed!” He stood up, and paced the floor, staring me down; as I stood there, mouth agape, not knowing what to say.

“I told you before, I can’t always be around to protect you. You need to be smarter than that”.

“Locking me in a dark room, treating me like and animal? Strapping me up with this _bullshit_ chastity belt contraption? Is that what you call _protecting me_?”.

I was on a roll. _Who does this asshole think he is?_ , I thought.

“Did you forget that I’m a scumbag, and that the world would be better if I just disappeared?”. I pointed an angry finger at his chest and looked him square in the face. “I was doing my _job_. The job you hunted me down, trapped me, and tortured me to get me to do”.

He stepped back.

“That wasn’t my call”, he said, and went to pour another glass for himself.

“Waller?”, I asked, voice low.

“She seemed to think that letting the guards here work on you a bit before we returned, would make you more compliant”. He wouldn’t meet my eyes.

I scoffed. “Why do you work for her?”.

He lowered his glass, having just been about to take a sip.

“I guess I’m a bad guy too”, he said, and drank the whole content of the glass in one swig.

I took a step forward; having forgotten all about my hurt ankle. The pain from stepping down on it, made me stumble and fall.

Flag ran over to catch me, but I hit the floor with my knees, cursing.

“Shit”, I yelped, and tried to stand again.

Flag grasped my elbow, and put his arm around my waist, supporting my weight. I pushed at his chest.

“Let go; I can take care of myself”, I said, struggling against his grasp. He held on to me, forcing me to lean against him; chest to chest.

“Would you just let me help you?”, he growled at me, putting his other arm under my knees; lifting me into the air.

Kicking my legs, I grabbed a fistful of his hair, yanking his head back, my other hand scratching at his arms.

“Get. Off. Me!”, I roared, and smacked him across the face.

Having been walking towards a chair, Flag changed direction.

“Fine!”, he barked; and let me go.

\---

I landed with a bump on the bed. Shocked, all I did was stare up at him; standing over me, breathing heavily. Grasping my face with both hands, he leant over me; and planted his lips on mine.

I think I blacked out for a second – everything was Flag and his lips, tugging at mine.

His hands moved to my shoulders, gently pushing me backwards; until I was lying down underneath him; his one knee between mine.

I opened my mouth slightly, letting his soft tongue find its way to mine.

Grinding his hips against me, his groin meeting my core; it felt like I was on fire. I threw my head back and moaned.

Flags lips moved towards my neck, his hot breath sending tingles through my body. He kissed and nibbled at the sensitive skin below my ear, and moved down; reaching the spot where he’d used the strange gun to place the nano-bomb.

He suddenly groaned and pulled back; getting of the bed.

“Shit, we can’t do this”, he cursed, running his fingers through his hair, and pacing the floor again. “I shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry. This is wrong. I should take you back to your cell”. His eyes met mine, almost pleading.

The pain in my ankle completely forgotten, I stood up. I stormed across the floor, pushed him against the wall, and grabbed the back of his neck; pulling him in to another kiss.

“I don’t give a shit if this is wrong”, I said pointedly. “You finish what you started, Flag!”.

His eyes were instantly on fire. He grabbed my bottom, and lifted me up so quickly, it was almost dizzying.

“Rick”, he breathed.

“Rick”, I smirked; and pushed my lips to his, our tongues colliding, and fighting for dominance. He tasted like whiskey and chewing gum.

As I straddled his waist, he spun us around; pushing me against the wall – his hips grinding against my core once more. He grabbed at my collar, pulling it down; and nibbled and licked my exposed neck and shoulder.

The sensation almost sent me over the edge, as I felt his hardening member through his cargo pants, rubbing against my most sensitive spot.

 _I’m about to have sex with a guy who wears cargo pants_ , I chuckled to myself.

“What”, Rick asked, out of breath.

“Nothing”, I answered. “Just keep going”.

He carried me to the bed, and laid me down; my legs still in a tight grip around his body. His weight on me put even more pressure on my core, and I gasped loudly.

“Eager kitten, aren’t you?”, he chuckled into my ear, and tugged at my lobe with his teeth. My eyes rolled back, and I let out a mewl, as his fingertips travelled down my side, ending up at my waistband.

He ran one finger along the band, once again kissing me, this time softly; exploring the curves of my lips with his own.

He sat up on his knees suddenly, making my butt move up his thighs; as I was still holding on to him something fierce, with my own.

He looked down at me, soft eyes exploring my own, then travelling down my body.

“You sure you want this?”, he asked. Biting my lip, I nodded.

Rick pulled of his t-shirt, and as it travelled up his body, I swallowed hard. His muscles flexed, revealing the reason he was so strong.

Colonel Flag worked out! He was fit; slender, but not skinny. His muscles were defined, and his skin smooth and tanned. I ran a hand up his torso, and scratched at his chest; feeling the small amount of hair there, soft against my fingertips.

Throwing his t-shirt on the floor, he smiled smugly, and chuckled at me. Putting his hand around my back, he pulled me up into a seated position on his lap; our faces inches from each other.

I felt his breath again, warm; and he grabbed my bottom lip between his teeth, nibling slightly, before exhaling and looking me into the eyes again.

My body was frozen in place. _What the hell are you doing to me, colonel?_ , I thought.

“Let’s get this of you”, Rick smiled, and pulled at my flannel shirt. Taking it of me, he threw it behind his back; and it landed on the desk, knocking over one of his piles, making us both laugh.

I ran my fingertips down his spine, as he leaned in for another kiss. I teased him; pulling my mouth away at the last second, tilting my head, and biting my bottom lip.

He tried again, and as I did the same thing; his eyes on fire, he growled, and grabbed both my hips.

He lifted me from his lap effortlessly, and threw me backwards, making me land on the middle of the bed, on top of the papers strewn there.

With one hand, he took a firm grip around my wrists, holding them over my head.

I giggled and struggled against his grip, as he straddled my legs with his own, and grabbed the bottom of my face; kissing my lips passionately.

“Who’s the eager one now?”, I smirked at him, as he pulled back. His answer was to kiss me again, grab my hip with one hand, and flip me over; still holding on to my wrists. Grabbing and squeezing my buttcheek, he leant over, and whispered in my ear from behind me.

“I can stop any time you ask”, he breathed, and chuckled when I mewled in response to his fingers close vicinity to my core.

He smacked my butt, and flipped me over again; this time letting go of my wrists, and sitting back up.

I threw myself at him – our lips once again meeting – one hand in his hair, the other scratching his back from top to bottom, ending up at his waistband; slipping my fingers underneath it, to stroke the top of his ass. It was firm; and I was eager to find out how it looked.

Smiling giddily, I started undoing his belt; as he sat back, hands behind him, looking at me intently.

Opening his pants fly, I noticed the fabric of his boxers struggling to keep the little colonel in place. Rick inhaled quickly, as I let my finger softly stroke his length through the fabric.

Biting my lip, I looked up at him. One eyebrow raised, he smirked at me. _You’re a smug sonofabitch_ , I thought – but I had to admit to myself that he did have plenty to be smug about.

Rick leaned back towards me, and as his tongue restarted its exploration of my mouth, he started tugging at the hem of my tank top, trying to get it over my head – something that turned out to be an impossible task, due to the harness I was still wearing.

“Shit “, Rick said.

I sat back on the bed and sighed. I knew this had been too good to be true.

Rick caught my eyes, as if searching for something. He shook his head.

“Fuck it”, he said. He got up, walked to his desk, and opened the top drawer. He took out his key to the disc on my chest.

Once he got back to the bed, he unlocked the harness; and I lifted my butt slightly, letting him pull it off me.

He quickly threw it on the floor, and looked down at me, as I sat there – eyelevel with his stomach.

I ran my hand up his toned torso, and he grabbed my wrists again, lifting my arms into the air. Then – as eagerly as he had with the harness – he pulled my tank top over my head, leaving me in my bra and shorts.

He ran a finger across the uncovered top part of my breast, giving me goosebumps, and making me tingle in all the right places.

I looked up at him, once again biting my lip.

“You’ve got to stop doing that, kitten”, Rick breathed. “You don’t know what it does to me”.

Placing my palm over his covered member, gently squeezing it; feeling it’s warmth through the fabric.

“I can tell exactly what it does to you”, I smirked, licked my lips, and kissed his stomach just above the waistband of his boxers.

I started tugging at his cargo pants, and he stepped out of them, kicking them away.

Still seated, I put my hands on each of his butt cheeks, and pulled him closer to my face.

Looking up at him, I opened my mouth and put my lips on his length. His eyes widened, as he gave a small gasp.

“Y/N”, he breathed.

I moaned, and tugged gently at the fabric of his boxers with my teeth. Hearing him hiss, I laughed quietly; and hooked my fingers in the waistband, starting to pull down his boxers.

Behind my back, I could feel him unhooking my bra. Removing it myself; he meanwhile shucked his boxers.

 _Hi there_ , my eyes lit up. Standing at attention, Ricks member was right in front of my face; and I couldn’t help myself.

I placed one hand on his butt cheek, and the other closed around my new friend. Gently kissing the tip, I tasted the salty pre-ejaculate waiting there.

I opened my mouth; and meeting his eyes above me I took him in to my mouth, stroking his length with my hand.

I moaned, moving my head back and forth – tasting his warm skin, and feeling his veins ripple against my lips as I moved.

Ricks hands suddenly pulled at my hair, making me let go of his manhood.

Mouth still agape, I looked up at him, panting. He looked about to explode with lust.

He pushed me back in the bed, and pulled down my pants with shaking hands. Slinging them who knows where; he crawled over my body, grasping my right breast with a firm hand.

His other hand travelling upwards from my knee on the inside of my leg; he put his lips around my nipple, and sucked greedily.

I gasped loudly, as his fingers reached my covered folds. He continued to assault my right nipple for a couple of seconds more, before smirking up at me; then quickly pulled my panties to the side, and slid his finger between my wet labia.

He gave my left nipple a quick kiss, and moved his face to meet mine, grasping my lips with his own.

Continually kissing me, my hands in his hair; he stroked his finger from my entrance up to my sweet spot. Finding it engorged, he rubbed it gently between his thumb and index finger; driving me crazy with his circular motions.

My panties were discarded by joint effort.

He slid his free hand behind my torso, grasped my waist, holding on to me firmly. His member poking at my thigh, he held me down; one leg intertwining with mine.

He returned to my clit, stroking it softly.

His pleasuring hand pulled me closer and closer to the edge, when suddenly he slid his ring and middle finger inside me; and moved them in a come hither motion, rubbing his palm against my nub.

I pulled my mouth from his; gasping and moaning. A fiery tingle started spreading from my core, all the way through my arms and legs, fingers and toes.

I grasped the sheet, and threw my head back. Rick kissed and sucked at my neck, letting his warm breath there intensify the sensation on the rest of my body.

His hand continually moved – pressing upwards inside me, and downwards outside.

“I…”, I gasped.

“I know, kitten”, he breathed heavily. He kissed me again. “Let go”.

A hot wave, intense and earthmoving, washed over my body, from my core and outwards.

I didn’t scream. I didn’t breathe. My whole body tensed up, and I swear I floated into the air for a second; before dropping back down on the bed.

\---

All the while, Rick had been staring at my face.

My body continued to climax, even after he had removed his hand from my warmth. He was now stroking my face, examining every inch of it with inquisitive eyes, as my muscles relaxed more and more; allowing me to breathe in a steadier pace.

“That’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen”, he said, voice low; his index finger travelling from my forehead, over my nose, and finally stroking the edges of my lips.

I sputtered with laughter.

“I mean it!”, he said. I slapped his shoulder lightly.

“My cumface is the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen?”, I laughed at him.

“Yeah!”, he laughed.

“You can’t be serious”, I smiled.

“Well I did see an original WWII Lanchester submachine gun once, that got me pretty hard”, he smirked.

I laughed out loud again, making him chuckle.

“Speaking of hard…”, he said, and moved to lie between my legs. “… I’m not done with you”.

His eyes bore into mine; and he positioned himself at my entrance.

I gasped; and Rick slid into me slowly, letting me feel every delicious ripple of him as he did. Everything was this moment, and we started to move together.


	8. Chapter 8

“Oh yes… Oh God, yes!”.

Ricks nails bore into my skin, scratching: and leaving red and white traces in their wake.

“Please don’t stop”, I gasped.

Looking up at me, he rearranged his body, giving him better access to his target,

I kicked my leg, moaning.

“Lie still”, he mumbled, and used his free hand to hold the leg down.

“Mhmm”, I responded, and sighed.

* * *

“You’re enjoying this too much”, Rick said, and pulled his fingers out from under the bandage on my foot.

I whimpered.

“No… please”, I said, grabbing his hand, and pushing it back towards my ankle. “You have no idea how itchy that thing is!”. He chuckled at me.

“Maybe next time, don’t let Harley cover your foot in glitter body lotion, before she wraps it up”.

“She said it was antibacterial. And I thought she was supposed to be a doctor”.

“Of psychiatry”, he smiled.

“Right”, I remembered. “Ironic”.

He laid back, putting his head on the pillow. I rolled over, a piece of paper sticking to my sweaty thigh.

Putting his arm behind my head, I snuggled up to him; our fingers entangled on his chest.

“Flag…”, I began.

“Rick”, he interrupted.

“Rick”, I smirked. “Rick with the amazing dick”.

“That’s… terrible”, he laughed, pulled me in and kissed my forehead. Our legs entwined. “What were you gonna say?”.

“What happens now?”, I asked.

“I don’t know. You don’t belong out there with them… us”, he finished.

“I think I do”, I said, turning my face to look at him. His eyes darkened. “Look; I’m a criminal. I’ve done things, I wish I hadn’t”.

“We all have”, he said quietly. I continued.

“But here, I can do something with this thing that was put on me. I can use it to help people like the ones we saved today”.

Rick sighed.

“That’s great, in theory”, he said.

“What do you mean?”, I wondered.

He looked uncomfortable for a second, pulled his arm out from behind my head, and sat up. I stroked my fingers up and down his back as he spoke.

“Can I say something, without you smacking me across the face again?”, he asked. I rolled my eyes in response. “You’re rash, you take unnecessary risks…”. I interrupted.

“Just like every other person in the squad!”.

“…and you’re not as strong as you think”, he finished.

I sat up. “I was strong enough to give you a run for your money, back when we were wrestling in that alley”, I said, and kissed his shoulder.

He turned to face me, and with a hand on my waist, he pushed me back down on the bed, and got on top of me.

“Maybe I was just enjoying rubbing up against you”, he breathed; and began to place small kisses down my neck.

“Are you trying to distract me?”, I laughed, and struggled against his grip. He chuckled against my neck, and started trailing his hand down my side, placing it on my buttcheek.

“What are you doing?”, I giggled.

“Checking out the asset”, he whispered into my ear, and squeezed my cheek. I squealed and laughed.

His phone buzzed in his pants pocket on the floor. He reached to pull it out; and the display read _A. Waller_.

“Flag”, he answered, and put a finger to his lips, hushing me.

“You heard. Yes… I know…”. He put his feet on the floor, and looked over his shoulder at me for a second.

“No, that’s not… No. Waller… Wall… Amanda! It’s too soon!”, he said in to the phone. He sighed.

“Yes, I know. I understand. Yeah… see you then”. He hung up. “Bitch!”. He threw the phone across the bed.

“Back to work?”, I asked, sitting up.

He ran his hand down his face, and turned halfway towards me.

“Waller… is coming here, to brief you all personally”.

“What does that mean?”, I asked, worried.

“I don’t know all the details, but it’s probably not good”. He turned all the way towards me, and took my hand, placing it on his cheek.

“There are things I can’t tell you. Not because I don’t want to, but because I wouldn’t even know where to start. The next couple of days you might hear some things…”, he said, and put his hands on either side of my face. “I need you to know, that this is real”.

“I know it is”, I said, and ran my thumb over his bottom lip. “I know”.

We got out of the bed, and started to dress. While Rick tied his boots, I picked up the harness, and looked at it.

Rick turned to face me, as I started putting it on.

“I’m sorry”, he said, and looked at the ground in front of him.

I limped over to him, stroke his cheek, and kissed his lips softly. Slipping my hand into his pocket, I pulled out the key he had placed there; and put it in his hand.

“Let’s just get this over with”, I said, and connected the straps to the disc on my chest; so he could lock it.

He did, and then pressed the button on his wrist. A short beep, and the light turned from green to red.

“This thing coming up… it doesn’t sound good. But I’m going to do whatever I have to, to make sure you’re safe”. He put his forehead to mine.

“I’m a big girl, Rick”, I smiled.

“You’re hotheaded and stubborn. And that’s not a compliment”, he said. “To top that of, you’re still injured”.

“Keep going like this, and I _will_ smack you”, I smirked. He put his lips to mine, savoring the feeling.

“Just please… follow my orders, and we’ll get through this”.

I smiled at him.

“Yes, colonel Flag, sir!”.

He smirked, and we went out the door.

\---

I’d had to go back to my cell; but I’d fallen asleep quickly, once Rick had led me there, removed my harness, and left me – after a quick kiss, while no one was watching.

The next morning, we were gathered in the gym.

Digger, as always, looked chronically hung over, but the only other member of the team seeming affected by the “party” the night before, was Harley; who was wearing a pair of oversized sunglasses, and clutching a tiny cup of espresso.

I was sitting in my wheelchair, though I did not need it; it just so happened to be the most comfortable chair in the room. Foot raised on the empty beer crate, I was pretending to read my copy of _Alice_.

“Mhm”, said a voice from behind me. “Must have been a good one”.

Floyd sat down next to me.

“I’m not sure what you mean”, I said unconvincingly.

“You’ve been reading that same page for the last 20 minutes”, he said.

“It’s my favorite part”, I retorted.

“And,” he continued “you’re holding it upside down”.

My face reddened, and I put down the book.

“Anyone else notice?”, I asked.

“Oh, we all know. You have a hickey the size of Florida on your neck”, he chuckled.

“Fuck”, I gasped, and tried to cover my neck with my hand.

“Too late, girl”, Floyd smiled widely. “Only thing, I can’t figure out which one of these nasty ass guards you’d be willing to knock it with”.

So he didn’t know about Flag. Rick.

“It wasn’t supposed to happen”, I groaned. He laughed and patted my shoulder.

“Hey, you’ll get no shit from me. We all need a little tlc sometimes”, he smiled, and got up to walk away. Turning around, he stopped for a second.

“Did you find your something to live for?”.

“Maybe”, I said honestly. He nodded, and went to join Diablo at the dumbbells.

The metal doors opened, and Griggs came in, followed closely by a dozen of his men. No matter how badass he tried to look, it was clear he was terrified of us; especially when we were grouped together.

“Hey shitheads. Line up!”, he barked. “You had a nice party last night it seems”.

We all got in line, about six feet between us, as we stood next to each other; hands on our heads, and legs spread. Griggs walked up to a grey-faced Digger.

“Crocodile Dundee; stand up straight when I’m talking to you”, he roared in to the poor mans face; as he was doing his best to block out the sound with his hands.

He walked back and forth in front of us, avoiding getting too close to Croc, who was standing at the end of the line.

“You need to clean this shit up!”, he yelled, and kicked at the beer case I’d been resting my foot on earlier.

“I’ve been told you have guests coming in. That woman, Waller, and the colonels samurai”.

I started swaying; my ankle giving in to pain. It was difficult to stand up straight. Griggs sauntered over to me, and put his hands on my waist. I heard mumbling and a growl coming from my friends; but the guards all cocked their guns, and aimed them at our group.

“How’s the foot?”, he said quietly, looking into my eyes, swaying back and forth with me; in a weird slow dance.

“I heard you went to visit colonel Douche last night. You were in there a long time, Puss”, he jeered. “Did ya’ give the soldier boy a little lapdance? You’re good at that, ain’t you? What was that place called you worked at? Scottys’?”.

From the corner of my eye, I could see Floyd sending me a look of confusion.

“Get off me”, I hissed; trying to create distance between us, still keeping my hands on my head.

“Oh, come on”, Griggs smirked, leaning in to me. “You like a man in uniform, don’t you? All someone has to do is flash a bit of rank, and you’ll spread ‘em. Screwing your way out of here…”.

A bright voice interrupted him.

“In my professional experience, slut shaming is usually a sign of extreme insecurity, and pent up sexual frustration, stemming from the aggressing party not interacting in any kind of physical intercourse themselves”, Harley said pointedly. “Blue balls much?”, she finished, smiling brightly.

Griggs stepped away from me, and stormed towards her. He was stopped dead in his tracks, as Digger bent forward in front of him, heaving; and letting out a steady stream of his stomach content; making it land on Griggs’ uniform.

“Shit. You disgusting… Shit!”, Griggs yelped, and stormed towards the door, followed by his guards, who kept aiming their guns at us until the door closed behind them.

“Oops, sorry mate”, Digger burped. We all laughed.

“Come on man, let’s get you cleaned up”, Diablo said, and supported Diggers weight on their way to the bathroom. “Good job”, I heard him laugh, as they walked away.

I went to sit down; my hands shaking, as I arranged myself in the wheelchair.

“You and Flag, huh?”. Floyd was looking down at me. “Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been with some nasty ass skanks in my day. But… really?”, he looked at me, disbelieving.

I sighed.

“It’s like I said. It wasn’t supposed to happen”. I looked up at him. “But it did”.

Floyd tilted his head.

“I guess he’s got that Ken doll thing going for him. And he’s not a total asshole. Just be careful this doesn’t fuck up your situation in this place. We got it better here than we could have wished for, being who we are”, he said, and crouched in front of me.

“Live, Y/N”, he said quietly, squeezed my knee gently; and left me alone to my thoughts.

\---

“You’re going to Gotham”.

Waller was briefing us in a conference room, connected to hallway outside the gym. We were all sitting around a table that gave off an aroma of stale coffee and cigarette smoke, looking at a slideshow, that would probably be destroyed once this meeting was over.

In a corner of the room stood a masked Asian woman, carrying a sword. Rick had introduced her to me as Katana.

“She’s got his back”, Harley had beemed at me, grabbing Katana in her arms, and giving her a tight squeeze. “I’ve missed you so much!”. Katana had retreated as quickly as she could; and was now scowling at us from her corner.

“A terrorist group has threatened an attack on Midtown, three days from now”, Waller said. “Exactly where has yet to be confirmed; but we suspect it will be going down in the area of Gotham Proper. This makes either Gotham U., Central High School, or Gotham Hospital likely targets. Either way, casualties will be in the thousands”.

She switched the slide, showing us a map of what seemed to be the western part of Gotham.

“It seems the group has gained access to all surveillance footage in the area, meaning they will notice us coming at them, regardless of which direction we decide to take”.

“We?”, Diablo asked.

“Well, you. Obviously”, Waller retorted. “Police and military have been ordered to act as normal; not evacuate or show any sign that we are taking this threat seriously”.

“So basically, you’re letting people die”, Floyd said, trying to control his temper. “Why?”.

“Don’t worry, Deadshot. Your daughter and her mother have been sent on vacation to the west coast, visiting family.

“They ain’t got no family on the west coast”, Floyd growled.

“They do now”, Waller said.

“Get to the point, Waller. What do we need to do?”, Rick asked.

“You need to go in quietly, but well-armed”. She looked at me. “This is where you come in, Chess”.

Ricks eyes were instantly on me; worried and enraged.

“No, she’s not ready.”, he said as calmly as he could. Across the table, Harley was making a heart shape with her hands, winking at me.

“Colonel, you need to go in invisibly. Literally”, Waller said to him.

Rick walked up to her, and lowered his voice.

“She almost died yesterday. Her ankle is messed up; and she might have a couple of fractured ribs; due to the beating you let the guards here give her”. That last part was only half true, as I’d had no trouble with my ribs, when he was holding on to me for dear life, as I rode him the night before.

“I didn’t let the guards do anything. Y/N is a prisoner here at Belle Reve, and whatever treatment she receives from the staff here, is between her and them”. _I really don’t like you_ , I thought.

“Amanda…”, Rick said, but was interrupted.

“Let’s speak in private”, Waller said coldly.

\---

Rick and Katana walked us back to the gym, leaving Waller waiting for them in the conference room.

Once back, and out of sight of the guards, Rick looked at us all, his eyes ending up meeting mine. He lifted his hand, and pressed the button on his wrist. My disc shone green.

Katana grabbed his arm, and angrily said something I couldn’t understand.

“She deserves to know”, Rick said quietly, and walked up to me, placing a hand on my shoulder.

“Remember what I said last night”, he said in a hushed tone. “And be quiet”.

I nodded, and disappeared from view.

Leaving the rest of the group behind, waiting for more instruction; we walked back to the conference room. Katana was grumbling something all the way; the only word I could understand being “stupid”.

Waller was sitting at the end of the table when we came in. I lightly touched Ricks arm, letting him know I was there. He sighed.

“Amanda, this is dangerous”, he said.

“I know”, she answered. “That’s why it’s these people doing it”.

“But her?”, he asked, sitting down in one of the chairs. It seemed he couldn’t sit far enough away from her; such was his aggravation.

“She’s getting to you”, Waller said matter-of-factly. “We’ve been here before, haven’t we?”.

“No. This is not that. She is a member of my team, who just so happens to be completely unprepared for this situation”. I stood against the wall behind him, watching his shoulders move as he spoke.

“This is not your _team_ , Flag”, she said harshly. “These are assets; they’re disposable. You’re not supposed to make friends with them”.

“I am the leader of that squad”, Rick tried, with an authoritative voice.

“You are the babysitter of a bunch of gangbangers and psychopaths; put in this jail to be punished for their deeds. That gym out there was supposed to be a training facility. In stead you’ve let them turn it in to a frat house”.

Rick slammed his fist into the table, making me jump. Katana looked in my direction, letting me know she’d heard me. I needed to be quieter.

“You can’t ask this of them!”, he yelled. “She could die. They could all die!”.

“So?”, Waller said, voice leveled; eyes cold.

“How long have you known about her?”, he asked.

“She’s been on the board for a while; a file I kept in my drawer for when I needed her. When this threat came in, I knew it was time to extract her”.

“This is the one, isn’t it?”, Rick said. “The one you’ve been preparing for months. The one you didn’t want to tell me about. Why?”.

“Because I knew what your reaction would be, and I didn’t have time to deal with your sensitive emotions”, she answered.

Rick sighed. “There is no threat, is there?”.

“There is a threat, but it’s not new. We’ve known about this group for a little over a year”.

“Then why now?”, he wondered.

“Because we caught her”, she answered. “Now we finally have a chance of taking them down; because they won’t be able to see you coming”.

“And the attack? That’s bullshit?”. He was tensing up.

“Not exactly”, Waller said, gathering her papers. “We know they have access to explosives, and that they are able to set them up quickly; causing great damage to a large area. The three targets I mentioned before, are still the most likely to be hit”.

Rick stood up and walked over to her, staring her down menacingly.

“When we finish this one; you and me – we’re done”.

She took her papers and walked towards the door.

“If you say so”, she said, and closed the door behind her.


	9. Chapter 9

I reappeared, storming towards the door.

“I’m gonna kill her”, I said, every inch of my body tense and in attack mode. Rick rushed towards me, grabbing a hold of my arm, holding me in place.

“Stop, Y/N”, he hushed me. “Just stop!”.

Katana was drawing her blade, and stepping towards me. Rick held up his hand, stopping her. “Step back, Katana. I’ve got this”. The woman stayed back, still on high alert.

I was shaking from rage. “How long, Rick?”, I growled. “How long have you known about me? How long have you been watching me?”.

He wouldn’t meet my eyes. “The night we caught you, was the first time I saw you in person. I’ve known about you for about a month before that”. “Wayne Tower?”, I asked. “Yes”, he answered. “She had me searching leads, given to her by someone… I don’t know who”.

I had a strange feeling I did.

“She’s just been waiting for a reason to flush me out, and use me”, I raged. “I don’t think it’s like that”. “Then, what is it like?”, I asked. I relaxed my body; apparently making him feel it was safe enough to release his hold on me. I sat on the edge of the conference table. He crossed his arms, and began speaking.

“She’s been up to something for a while. Sending the Force on bullshit missions, taking care of small-time crime lords the police could have easily handled”. He looked at me, and I gestured at him to continue. “This last one you joined us on… I think it was your test run. And I think you played into her game. She hoped you’d do whatever you needed to, to prove yourself to the team. Or me. I don’t know”.

“I wasn’t trying to prove myself to anyone”, I said. _Maybe myself_ , I thought. _And maybe – just a little bit – to you_ , I added.

“Either way, she needed to know whether you’d be rash enough to act against your own interest, to get results”. He met my eyes. “And you did”. I shook my head, cursing under my breath. He continued.

“This mission she’s sending you on”, he said, “she’s been planning for a long time. I haven’t been able to get anything out of her; but whoever the target is, I don’t think it’s a terrorist group; not in the way you might think. I think it’s one of the big players in the Gotham underground. Someone who she desperately needs gone”.

He walked up to the old-fashioned slideshow projector Waller had left behind. “Whoever it is, they’re more than just a little dangerous”. “Hatter?”, I muttered, a little worried. “Worse”, he answered.

Katana said something in Japanese; I guessed it was. “I already told her”, he answered her. “After this; I’m done”. His words made me uneasy.

He grabbed the case of slides, picking up one, looking at it; then throwing the whole thing into the wall. “Shit!”, he yelled.

“What did she mean; _we’ve been here before_?”, I half whispered.

He froze. Katana said a few words, then sent me a sympathetic look, and left the room.

“Rick?”, I demanded.

His face was expressionless. “Waller and I met when she needed me to track down another meta-human. This was before the X Force was officially approved by the higher ups”, he said, sitting down in the chair Waller had formerly occupied. I moved to stand closer to him, but changed my mind when I saw his eyes. They were pained; remembering.

He sighed. “Her name was June Moone. She was possessed by the spirit of an ancient witch she called Enchantress”. He ran his hand down his face, scratching the stubbles on his cheek. “I was put in charge of her protection. But it became more than that”.

“You loved her”, I said quietly.

“I did. I fell for her the moment I saw her, and it wasn’t long before we became more than what we were supposed to be”. He looked at me, face hardening. “Waller had planned it all along. She wanted me locked down; unable to say no to her demands”. I held my breath.

“June was struggling with the spirit. It kept taking control of her, against her will; and one day, she lost her ability to fight it”, he said. “It gave Waller the leverage she needed to get her way on having the Force approved”. He was fidgeting in his seat. “Enchantress built an army of creatures that caused havoc in Midway City; and the squad took her out”, he said. “I crushed her heart myself”.

“You killed her?”, I asked.

“June survived”, he answered. “We were able to move on with our lives, together”.

I looked down. His words were a punch to the guts.

“It was good. For a while”, he continued. “June made tenure at Gotham U, teaching ancient Mayan… something. I never really could figure it out”, he chuckled. “We got an apartment. A dog. Everything was headed in one direction”.

I could see it. Rick and some beautiful, intelligent career-driven woman on his arm, wearing a tasteful diamond ring on her left hand, walking their perfect little mut; or cooking in their stupid kitchen, while drinking expensive wine from expensive glasses. I felt like throwing up.

“She wanted to move on; and forget what happened in Midway City. She wanted to make it so it never happened; and she wanted me to leave the Force. Become a civilian”, he said. “But I couldn’t do that. This team; the job… it was to important to just quit. And I knew no one else would be willing to take on those weirdos out there”.

“So, you left her for the squad”, I said, smiling ironically. “That’s so sweet. And sad for June”, I added.

“She… left me”, he admitted. “I didn’t fit in to her idea of how her life was supposed to be. She wanted a life away from all this, and I couldn’t give her that”.

He walked to stand in front of me. We stood there for a long time, not saying anything.

“It’s over”, he finally said, meeting my eyes. “June is… was… very important to me. But it wasn’t meant to be. I want her to be happy and safe, and get everything that she wants. But I don’t need to be a part of that picture. Not anymore”, he finished, and put his hand on my check.

I pushed it away.

“Don’t”, I said. “I know a rebound when I see it”.

“Y/N”, Rick pleaded. “You’re not a rebound. Everything I said last night was true”. He placed his hands on either side of my face. “This is real!”.

“Is it?”, I asked. “Or is it a way for you to deal with the fact that you lost the perfect woman over a job that you don’t even want?”.

He leant in and kissed my lips softly. I put my hands on his chest; part of me wanting to push him away – the other part wanting to melt into his arms. The angry side of me won.

“Please stop”, I said, and turned away from him, leaving his grasp. “They’re waiting for us”.

He moved towards me again, but I put my hands up in front of me, staring him down.

“This”, I said, pointing back and forth between us, “Whatever it is… was… it can wait. At least until we’ve finished this bullshit mission”.

He looked at me incredulously.

“We’re going back out there, and you’re gonna tell them, Flag!”. He winced at me using his last name. “Tell them everything!”.

I stormed towards the door, but he stopped me in my tracks, grabbing a hold of my waist, pushing me up against the wall.

“I’m not losing you, Y/N”, he said, putting his forehead to mine. “I want us. This. And I know you do too”.

I grabbed his wrist, and with an angry look at him, I pressed the button on it. My disc turned red.

I pushed him away.

“Let’s go”, I said.

\---

He did as I asked. The squad reacted as expected.

“I thought you was done lying to us, man”, Diablo said hoarsely, clenching his fists; flames rising from each of them.

“I never lied”, Rick answered. Floyd scoffed.

“Not since June”, Rick reiterated. I looked at the ground in front of me, trying to seem unmoved by his mention of her.

Croc roared at him, grabbed my wheelchair, and threw it at the wall; making it break into a thousand pieces. He looked at me apologetically. “Sorry”. “Don’t worry about it”, I half smiled. “People seem to be throwing all kinds of things around these days”. Rick looked at me from the corner of his eye.

“Look, this is a shit situation, but it’s no different than what we’ve been through before”, he said. “You finish this, and you all get another 10 years of your sentences”.

“Yeah, but we’re also going up against someone we know nothing about”, Digger said from his seat on his favorite napping bench. “And that cunt, Waller, obviously doesn’t give a shit about any of us”. He stood up, kicking the bench, flipping it over. “I’ll show her _disposable_ , when I dispose of her fucking body in a river!”, he yelled.

Floyd walked up to Rick, and looked at him pointedly. “Flag, you need to tell us right now; whose side of the fence you on?”.

“You know I’m with you, Deadshot”, Rick answered.

Floyd looked at him for a second, searching his eyes for deceit. “Zoe’s got a dance recital coming up next month”, he said. “I’ll get you there”, Rick said. Floyd stepped back and nodded.

“Why you want us to do this so bad?”, Diablo asked, voice calmer.

The only part of the conversation with Waller Rick hadn’t mentioned to the team, was the part about him leaving. I would let him keep his secret. For now.

“It’s an order, Santana. I can’t fight it. That’s… beyond my paygrade”, Rick answered, and sighed.

“Quinn”, Digger called. “You hearing this?”.

Harley was in her ropes; effortlessly contorting her body into sensual positions – her eyes in a faraway place.

“Yo, Harlz!”, Floyd yelled. Harley looked at him, ripped out of her daydream. “You paying attention?”.

She slid down the ropes, and looked at him calmly.

“Yeah. We’re supposed to go to Gotham; and take down some bigshot, who’s been stepping on Wallers toes. What are we waiting for?”. She tightened her pigtails, and smiled brightly at us.

Rick shook his head at her, eyes worried. “You with us, Quinn?”, he asked.

She tilted her head, and smiled sweetly. “Always, boss!”.

The door began opening, and we all got into line, legs spread, hands on our heads. Waller came in flanked by a newly showered Griggs.

“I trust the colonel has filled you in with the information you need to finish this mission satisfactorily”, she said. She apparently also expected Rick to have taken care of making up a continued cover story for her. “You will be transported to Gotham first thing tomorrow”.

“What are we, cattle?”, Diablo mumbled next to me.

“Take them back to their cells”, she said to Rick, and stepped aside.

\---

Once back at my cell, Rick went inside with me, and shed me of my harness. His closeness to my body stirred me in ways I didn’t want it to. Sending the guards away, he closed the door behind us, and put a hand on my shoulder, turning me around to face him.

“Are you ok?”, he asked. “What do you think?”, I answered.

He exhaled and put his arms around me. I wanted to push him away; but my body was aching for his touch. He leant in and kissed me; and I couldn’t help but respond. Stroking my back, his touch reminded me of the night before.

_Laying on my stomach, his hand moved from my lower back, up between my shoulder blades; as he pushed in to me from behind, slowly and deliberately. He kissed my neck; groaning as I tightened around him, drawing him closer to the edge. He moved a hand under me, searching for, and finding, my sweet spot; stroking it. He pulled my hair, making my head turn, and caught my mouth in a passionate kiss; continuously moving in and out of me; stroking me, getting us both closer to our joint climax…_

“Y/N”, he breathed; deepening his kiss. My body responded, and I struggled to keep my senses.

“N-no”, I stammered. He stepped back immediately.

“I’m sorry”, he said. “It’s too soon”.

“That’s not it”, I said, and looked into his confused eyes. “I know you think this is real. And maybe I do too. But…”, I paused, and took a step back. “I’m not gonna be your prisoner/guard fantasy. I’m worth more than that!”.

“You’re angry about June”, he said.

“I’m not angry because you have an ex. I’m angry because I’m just another one in the line of your workplace romances gone wrong. You fall for your… _wards_ , left and right”.

“That’s not it”. He leant against the wall, crossing his arms. “This about you being afraid to get close to me, because you don’t trust anyone”, he growled. “I never lied to you, or kept anything secret. I went out of my way to make sure you’d find out what kind of person Waller really is”.

“I don’t want you to buy my affections with little favors”, I yelled. “Am I supposed to spend the rest of my life in this place, waiting for you to show up in my cell with flowers and candy, whenever you need to get your dick wet?”.

He frowned at me. “I don’t want that either. I want you to get out of here. I want us together, without having to hide what I feel for you!”, he answered, frustrated.

I walked up to him, caressed his check, and kissed him softly. “I need time”, I said quietly. “To think”.

He sighed, and his expression softened. “I understand. And I’m not going to pressure you. Take whatever time you need”. He kissed the top of my head. “I’ll wait”.

He went out the door, and I heard it lock.

I was alone again.

\---

I had a restless night. My head was spinning from the events of the day. I felt strangely empty.

From somewhere down the hall, Harleys voice was broke the silence, singing an old showtune I remembered from a movie I’d once seen.

“Oh, whats the use of wondrin’, if hes good or if hes bad? He’s your fella and you love him. Thats all there is to that”.

“Shut up Quinn. Some of us are trying to sleep!”, Diggers voice boomed.

It went quiet again. Sleep started to take me over, when Harleys thin voice began again.

“Common sense may tell you, that the ending will be sad, and now’s the time to break and run away. But whats the use of wondrin’, if the ending will be sad? He’s your fella and you love him. There’s nothing more to say”.

A loud crash, from what I guess was a small table hitting Diggers cell door; and Harley went quiet again.

There wasn’t another sound the rest of the night.


	10. Chapter 10

The next day our weapons were packed up for us; as we weren’t allowed to have them on us during the flight. They had doubled the guards for our transportation to the garage; as some of them would be joining us on the journey.

Apparently over his resentment towards Harley for keeping us awake the night before; Digger was cracking jokes, and messing with the pilot of the chopper taking us to Gotham. It was bigger than the one from a couple of days ago; seemed to be for transportation of goods, and not humans.

“Oy, mate. You ever see that movie, _Con Air_?”, Digger asked the pilot; who was clearly out of his element, and probably had never flown murderers and psychopaths across the country before. He fled to his seat in front of the aircraft, and Digger laughed hoarsely at us. “I think he’s seen it!”, he grinned.

Croc had been wheeled out on a standing gurney, strapped down, and mouth covered. They hadn’t untied him before boarding, but instead wheeled him into a large cage, and strapped the gurney to the bars. Five smaller cages were placed against the walls of the chopper, each equipped with a chair with straps that seemed to be supposed to function as seatbelts.

I took a step towards Rick, the guards around him quickly aiming their guns at me. “What the hell is this, Flag?”, I hissed.

He once again winced at my use of his last name. “Wallers orders. She’ll explain more once we arrive in Gotham”, he answered, voice leveled; not wanting to let anyone know about our connection.

Grabbing my arm, he led me to one of the cages in the chopper, pushed me inside, and closed the door; leaving us standing face to face – looking at each other through the bars.

“I need you to trust me. I’m going to make sure you all come out of this alive”, he whispered, and squeezed my hand before raising his voice. “Sit down and strap up prisoner. We got a long flight ahead”.

I looked at him, eyebrows furrowed; and then sat down in the chair.

Being led into his own cage, hands cuffed behind his back; Floyd smiled at the female guard locking the door. “Did they remember to tell you; I’m gonna want the vegetarian option”. She walked away from him, pretending not to hear. “Miss? Miss? Service at this airline is ridiculous”, he chuckled, and sat down to strap in.

Diablo had been drenched in water; and the Tweedles were seated on either side of his cage, each holding a fire extinguisher. He was grinning from ear to ear at the ridiculousness of the security measurement chosen to control him. We all knew none of it would do shit in the end, if he decided he wanted to use his fire.

“Where’s Harley”, Rick asked the guards, and they all looked confusedly at each other.

“I’m coming!”, Harleys voice yelled. Running down the hallway leading to the garage, with two guards – each dragging a brightly colored suitcase with one hand, and aiming guns at her with the other – trailing behind her.

Harley was dressed to the nines. Glitter stiletto boots; a barely there gold and pink sequined dress, and a faux fur coat. At least I guessed it was faux; as I’d never seen a purple, long haired zebra before. “Gosh, you’d think you’d give a girl time to pack up before a vacation”, she panted, and fanned her face with her hand. “This isn’t a vacation, Quinn. Get your ass on that helicopter!”, Rick growled, and followed her to her cage, locking it with her inside. Harley rolled her eyes at him, and strapped up like the rest of us.

“Arent you excited?”, she asked, beaming at me. “We’re going home!”. I shook my head. “We’ll be back here in no time”.

She grinned, and winked at me.

During our flight, Rick sat across the floor from my cage, continuously wringing his hands, and looking from between my eyes and the floor. At one point the female guard Floyd had been cracking jokes at earlier; came up to him with a small thermos.

“You look like you need a cup of coffee, sir”, she smiled sweetly. “I roast the beans myself”. Rick politely declined, and went back to starring at his boots. She pushed her hip out, bit her lip, and sighed. “Well, you just let me know if there’s anything at all you need”, she said, and turned to walk away, swaying her hips a little more seductively than her uniform could make look good.

I couldn’t help myself. I jumped at the cage, grabbed the bars, and starred her right in her face. “Sit down, prisoner!”, she said angrily.

I hissed at her, and bared my teeth; giving her the scariest face I could pull off. _Mine, bitch!_.

She jumped back, and rushed off to sit in her own seat; which happened to be next to Crocs cage. He growled; and she audibly swallowed, and looked away, holding on to her gun like it was a teddy bear. Crocs eyes smiled at me; and I smirked back.

Rick looked up at me and gave me a crooked smile. I half smiled back, and sat back down.

\---

We landed a few hours later on a helipad on top of a large building in the outskirts of Midtown Gotham. Our cages were wheeled out of the chopper. Waller was waiting for us with a mustachioed man, who looked like he’d rather be anywhere but here.

“Commissioner Gordon”, Waller said. “This is Task Force X”. Gordon gulped. “You’ve probably met some of the team before”.

Harley sprang out of her chair, and stretched her arm out of the cage, as if to shake his hand. “Gordon! It’s been so long! How’s your wife?”, she smiled genuinely.

Floyd and Digger both chuckled, and sent each other a look.

“I don’t like this, Waller”, Gordon said. “You don’t have to like it, commissioner. You just have to accept it”. “You’re asking me to sign of on sending these sociopaths out on my streets, and hope that they won’t burn the whole city down in the process!”, Gordon raged.

“Psychopaths”, Harley corrected him. “Sociopaths are unable to show empathy, and to put themselves in others shoes. Psychopaths can fake it with the best of them”.

“Quinn, shut up”, Rick said, trying to hide a smile.

Waller continued. “This isn’t your call Gordon”, she said coldly. He frowned.

“You know, ever since I met you those three months ago; when you wanted me to let you use the bat-signal, everything has gone downhill”.

I gasped inaudibly. _Him. He was the one that helped you. It was a trap_. Rick took a step towards me, probably noticing my facial expression.

Waller looked at Gordon pointedly. “That’s a discussion for a different time”, she said, and I noticed her looking at me for a millisecond, before returning to him. “Why don’t you go on that vacation to Aruba you’ve been planning, hm?”.

Gordon grumbled something in response, and left us alone on the roof.

Waller turned towards us.

“Welcome to Gotham”. She turned to the guards. “Get them settled in”.

Rushing to me before my guard could reach my cage, Rick grabbed the bars. “I didn’t know, Y/N. I swear!”, he whispered; before the guard whisked me of to a nearby elevator.

\---

We were placed under guard in an abandoned office building.

“Wow. Recession really hit this place hard, huh?”, Floyd said, looking around the large windowless room we were occupying.

“This is Wayne Enterprises property”, Rick answered him, glancing at me.

I sat, frozen in place, on my chair in my now opened cage. I hadn’t been able to stand up since it had been unlocked.

The guards had left us alone, after Rick – and Waller – had assured them that it was safe. Still; they were posted throughout the building, prepared for what they thought would be an inevitable escape attempt.

Croc, stretching his limbs from having been tied down for so long, walked over to me; put his hands on my shoulders, and pulled me into a standing position. My legs still wobbly; he had to hold on to me for a second, before lifting my chin to look at me.

“You a’ight, cher’?”, he asked, with his naturally gravelly voice.

“They set me up”, I answered.

“They set us all up, darlin’”, Digger said from his corner, sharpening his boomerangs – our weapons having been given back to us on the insistence of Rick.

“The first time they got me was on date night”, Harley said. She seemed far away again. “Mr. J took me dancing; and we were on our way home to cuddle up with a movie. _Alice in Wonderland_ , my favorite”, she smiled at me. “It’s what she does. She gets us when we’re the happiest”. Her smile turned into something different. For the first time since I’d met her, Harley seemed… sad.

“No”, I said, trying to send her a look of sympathy. “I mean, before all this”. I went to the middle of the room, Croc trailing close behind to catch me if I decided to faint on them.

“A while back an acquaintance tracked me down at Sammy’s with an offer”, I said quietly. Selina had shown up at the club, wearing a black designer dress and sunglasses. Her topic of conversation had been interesting, but I’d been a little hesitant.

_Selina, I know I owe you one for all the times I’ve asked you to feed my cats when I was working, but come on!_ , I thought to myself.

“She told me about a safe with a lot of money”, I continued. “I was short on cash, as I’d lost some money on a trip to Vegas”. A trip that had ended with me having to post bail for both me and my ex-“fiancée”, Melissa. “The safe was supposedly easy to reach; no thermal cameras, very few guards… It sounded too good to be true”.

“It was, huh?”, Diablo asked, leaning against a wall by the door.

“Yeah”, I answered. “She said she’d have done the deed herself, but didn’t have time due to _other obligations_. I didn’t need a lot of money to hold me over, just a couple of grand, ‘cuz I needed to help a friend”. I sent a look in Ricks direction. He nodded, knowingly. “Her only demand was that I donated most of the money to a shelter here in the city. I had no problem with that, as long as I could take what little I needed for my friend”.

“But she lied about the cameras and the security”; Rick said.

“I don’t know”, I answered. “Either that… or there was a tracker on the money. Shit, I have no idea, but a month later, you assholes showed up at my job, drugged me, and sent me to bumfuck Louisiana; to join your circus”.

Rick tightened his lips.

But Selina had known where I was all along. Why not just tell the Bat where I worked? Or was the safe another test?

My head was spinning. I sat down on a chair someone pulled out for me. Putting my head between my knees, I breathed heavily.

Rick got up and addressed the room. “You’ve all been assigned quarters here in the building. Please, try not to kill the guards. Croc, that means you”, he said, looking towards the large figure standing next to me. He growled in response.

“Get some rest. Tomorrow we move out”.

Everyone cleared out, each led by gunpoint to their designated room. Rick grabbed my arm tightly enough for it to look as if he was being rough with me. The female guard came up from behind us.

“Sir, we have a place set up for you on another floor. So you can get some privacy”, she said.

“I stay with my team”, Rick answered, and pulled me of in the direction of an adjoining corridor.

There were no guards in front of the door to my room. We were alone.

\---

The room itself had clearly been an office. There were still indentations on the floor where a desk and a chair had stood. There was a file cabinet in the corner, drawers open and empty. On the floor lay a simple mattress with a pillow and a blanket covering it. A window let in the lights of the nighttime skyline. I put my hands against the window, fogging it up with my breath. Rick closed the door behind us.

“Y/N?”, he said quietly.

“Everything I’ve been through these last months… all lies”, I said, still staring out the window. “I can’t deal with anymore lies”.

“I’m not gonna lie to you, Y/N”, he said, and walked up behind me.

I turned around and looked at him. His eyes were intense – and honest. I took his hand and put it to my cheek. “I don’t want to think anymore. I need everything to just… stop”, I said, and grabbed a hold of his jacket, leaning in to him. He put his arms around me, and kissed the top of my head. “I know, kitten”. He exhaled and held me close. “I know”.

We stood there for a few seconds, before he let me go, and walked towards the door.

“Can you stay?”. He stopped dead in his tracks, and turned around; looking at me, bewildered. “You sure?”, he asked. I nodded. He stepped towards me.

“I’m not going anywhere until you ask me to”, he smiled warmly, and put me back into his arms again.

The room was chilly, but Ricks warmth spread through me, and for the first time since what felt like forever, my body relaxed, and I exhaled all the pain and frustration that had gathered inside me.

“Take me away from here”, I said, closing my eyes. “Where do you want to go?”, Rick asked, stroking my hair. “Anywhere”.

Rick chuckled. “I have a cabin in Montana”, he said. “You ever gone fishing?”. “Would it surprise you if I said yes?”, I smiled. “Kind of”, he laughed, and looked down at me.

I stepped away from him, sitting down on the mattress with my back to the wall. He sat down next to me; his arm behind my back, holding me close.

“Tell me about your cabin”, I said.

“It’s of a dirt road in the woods, right by a lake. Not a powerline in sight. No electricity or running water; but it’s got an old-fashioned water pump connected to the sink”. His thoughts seemed far away. “It’s just the one room. Wood stove. Insulated it myself last year”.

“Sounds like heaven” I mused.

“I still freeze my balls of in the winter, if I don’t keep it supplied with wood”, he said.

“Too bad”, I smirked. “They’re nice balls”.

He looked at me, eyebrows raised, stifling a laugh. “Oh yeah?”. He raised his chin a bit, looking down at me. _There you are, you cocky bastard_ , I thought, and grinned at him.

He gave me a squeeze, and I rearranged my legs so they were laid over his.

“Can we go there?”, I asked. His face became determined. “I promise”, he said, and stroked my cheek.

I leant in to him, and our lips met. At first it was soft; sweet. Taking a break to look me in the eyes; Ricks face became hesitant.

“If you want me to stop, say it now; because if we keep going, I won’t be able to…”. I put a finger against his lips.

“Don’t… stop”, I said, put my hand around his neck, and pulled him in again.

Ricks free hand went to my thigh; squeezing it; and pulled me onto his lap; straddling him. I opened my mouth, and our tongues met, gently stroking each other.

As he held on to my waist, I took of my jacket. He quickly unlocked my harness, and threw it into a corner. I kissed his neck, and pushed his jacket down his shoulders; helping him take it of. Running my nails through his hair, I gently tugged at his earlobe with my teeth; coaxing a stifled moan out of him.

He pulled my top over my head, and put his hands on my breasts; squeezing them gently; making me gasp in response. He leant down and placed a kiss on my collarbone.

I tugged at his t-shirt. He pulled it of with a swift move, leaving only my bra as a barrier between our naked torsos. He pulled the straps of it down. “Off…”, he breathed, and what was supposed to be a _yes_ , became a moan falling from my lips, as I reached behind my back, unhooking the unwanted garment.

A hand on my back, and the other on my butt; he swiftly turned us around, so that I was lying on my back under him. He sat on his knees between my legs, looking down at me. Slowly, he pulled the straps of my bra down my arms, leaving my upper body naked, laid out for him to see. I felt a sudden pang of insecurity, and laid an arm over my chest.

“No, please”, he said. “Let me just look at you”.

I smiled, cheeks reddening; in spite of the fact that he’d seen me completely naked once before.

He moved my arm out of the way, and ran his fingers down between my breasts, his expression soft. “You…”, he began, but couldn’t finish his sentence. I smiled.

“You just gonna stare at me all night?”, I asked.

His face darkened; and he was on me. A hand on each breast, he squeezed them together, and kissed me passionately. His left hand squeezed my nipple, making me gasp from the delicious sting of his touch.

His mouth moved down, kissing and nipping the skin on my throat. My vagina was throbbing, heat spreading from it, going into my stomach, and out my legs. Not letting go of my breasts, he licked a trail from between them, all the way down to my bellybutton. I put my hands on his upper back, sliding my fingers from his shoulder blades, up to his neck. His fingers grazed over my nipples, which were erect and responsive.

Pausing a bit over my stomach, his hands moved down my sides, stopping on my hips. He hooked his fingers into my waistband, and looked up at me, waiting for permission. I nodded, biting my lower lip; and he began pulling my leggings down, stopped by the boots I was still wearing. I laughed at his annoyed face, as he roughly pulled of the right boot, and gingerly pulled of the left one, taking care not to hurt my still injured ankle.

He removed my leggings swiftly, and lifted my ankle to his lips. I was no longer wearing the bandages – Harleys treatment had done _some_ good – so he kissed the inside of it, and gently placed it back down on the mattress. His fingers trailed up the outside of my legs, and ended up on my hips again; playing with the sides of my panties.

Ricks pants had grown quite a bit tighter bellow the waistband; and with a smile I sat up, and began to unbuckle his belt. From where I was sitting, my lips had access to his chest, and I kissed my way to his right nipple; taking it into my mouth, gently nibbling it. His hands stroked my back as he grunted in response, and pulling my head back, he leant down, and once again kissed me; our lips weaving in to each other, as if they were created for this one purpose.

Our tongues colliding, he gently pushed me back down on the mattress; and moved back down my body, this time pulling down my panties – laying me bare in front of him. Sending me a wicked smirk, he ran his hands down the back of my thighs, lifting them so that I lay with my legs spread and my knees bent.

My breath hitched, and I closed my eyes.

He started at the top of my mound, kissing it gently, and tugging at the hair there with his fingers. He inhaled my scent. “Mhmm”, he mumbled, and I ran my fingers through his hair; hands shaking in anticipation. His warm breath spread across my folds.

“Rick”, I gasped.

“I’m here”, he answered; and kissed my nub once.

The sensation instantly sent sparks flying all the way through my body, and made me flinch. “It’s ok”, he breathed in to me. His hand found mine, and squeezed it gently.

His shoulders touching the backside of my thighs, I rested my left foot on his back.

He stroked a finger up my taint, between my folds; all the way up to my clit. Removing it, his lips once again met it; this time sucking gently. I had trouble laying still; my body already convulsing, even before I had climaxed. Releasing my hand, he put his arm over my belly, holding me in place.

His tongue took the same path his finger had; before he sucked one of my labia into his mouth, nibbling it; and chuckling at how my legs began to shake involuntarily.

“Lay still, Y/N”, he laughed up at me. “I…”, I gasped. “Just… shut up! More…”. I was panting. He chuckled again, moved his hand from my stomach to my breast; and moved on with the task at hand.

Kissing the area around my vagina, he payed attention to every part of it except the part I need him to concentrate on the most. My nub was throbbing, yearning for his touch.

“Rick!”, I mewled, and tugged at his hair.

I heard him groan, and suddenly he latched on to my clit, sucking; while he inserted two fingers into me, curling them. Gasping, I looked down at him, meeting his brown eyes. His pupils were blown, and he moaned in to me.

His fingers relentlessly coaxed me towards my climax; finding that perfect spot inside me that made my whole body feel on fire.

He suckled deeply at me, then – noticing how my muscles began to tense up – let go. “Now”, he breathed, latched back on to me; and curved his hand into a position that made me feel like we were permanently attached to each other.

I could literally see stars. My whole body convulsed; and my back arched. All the while Rick kept on suckling at me, and using his fingers to draw everything out of me that he could. I held on to the mattress; in a weird way convinced that if I didn’t, I would fall of the face of the planet. Ricks fingers kept bending and stretching, and then bending again; stroking and coaxing.

I squealed breathlessly, shaking. It felt like electricity coming from inside me, moving out my vagina; but in stead of the current knocking me out, it was the one thing keeping me alive.

And – without knowing it – I _smiled_.

My body gave a final convulsion, as Rick let go of me with his mouth; his fingers still inside of me.

I gasped loudly, laughed, and tried to meet Ricks eyes. His whole face was one big question mark.

“Y/N?”, he said; and looked down at the fingers he could now see, but also could still feel were inside of me. “What?”, I panted, completely out of breath. “You’re, uhm… you’re gone”.

He sat there on his knees, two fingers curved. I could still feel him inside me. I suddenly realized what had happened.

“Oh”, I began. “Oh my god. I’m so sorry. That is…”.

I reappeared, covering my face with my hands. “I can’t believe that just happened”.

“Y/N, no don’t worry about it”, he smiled at me. “It’s fine”. “That has never happened to me before”, I groaned into my hands. “This is so embarrassing”.

He pushed my hands away from my face with his free hand, and stroked my cheek. “Hey, really. It’s fine”, he chuckled. “If anything, I take it as a compliment”.

I gave an embarrassed laugh, and looked down.

“Uhm, Rick?”, I said. “You’re still… uhm…”.

He looked down at his hand, and – realizing where his fingers still were – he flushed pink himself, and gently drew his fingers out of me.

I curled up into a seated position on the mattress, pulling the blanket around me.

“Well that was a party foul”, I said, still embarrassed. Rick put his arm around me, lifted my chin, and kissed me. “Not at all”, he smiled. “You have any idea how goddamn hot it is, that I could make you do that?”, he said, and kissed me again, before whispering into my ear.

“Makes me wonder what other parts of me would look like, in the same position”.

I frowned. “That’s weird”. “It’s kinky”, he gasped, faking indignation. “It’s weird. You’re weird”, I said, and shook my head.

“Fine”, he said, exasperated, and paused for a second. “So… we’re not gonna try to find out?”, he teased with a smirk.

I giggled. “Maybe some other time. It takes up a lot of energy I’d like to use elsewhere right now”, I said, and looked up at him.

His lips parted, and his breath hitched. I merged my fingers behind his neck, drawing him in for a warm kiss; before sliding one hand down his naked chest, and taking a moment to stroke across his abdomen.

He was warm, and he wrapped his arms around me under the blanket, as goosebumps had emerged from the chill of the room.

I moved my hand further down, continuing the task of undoing his pants. Once opened, he pushed them down and off of his legs, along with his boots. He was left in his boxer-briefs, and I cupped his bulge; once again relishing in the memory of how his penis had felt inside me a few nights before. Sliding my hand under his waistband, gripping his length; our kiss deepened, and he pulled his face away from mine to gasp, as I started pumping him slowly.

He leant over me, laying me down again. “I can’t wait anymore”, he breathed, and pulled of his underwear quickly, positioning himself between my legs. With his fingers, he spread my wet folds, and slid into me; our eyes never breaking contact.

We simultaneously moaned. “Still beautiful”, he croaked, and I smiled.

A hand behind my head, his elbow supporting him, to avoid putting all of his weight on me; he lifted my leg, and put it around his torso. He bucked into me forcefully, making me squeak in a very unladylike manner. He smirked at me.

“This is a good look on you”, he said, moving his hips to pump into me slowly. “What?”, I panted. “Fucked senseless?”. “You don’t seem quite senseless yet”, he chuckled, and bucked his hips again; bottoming out.

My eyes rolled back, and I mewled. He continued his slow torture; thrusting slowly – drawing sounds from me I’d never heard coming out of my mouth before. “Ffuu… mhmm… Rick”, I moaned; and put my hands on his bottom, trying to force his delicious feeling member as far into me as possible. “I’m right here, kit… Aahh!”, he groaned, as I scratched my nails down his back. “You’re playing with fire”, he gasped, and dug his fingers into my butt cheek, making it sting with sweet pain.

He suddenly pulled out of me, gathered my legs; and spanked me hard once; then stroked his fingers across my aching folds. Putting both my knees over his shoulders, and holding on to my thighs; he pushed into me again, all the way, with a forceful movement. “Let me know if this is to rough”, he said, and looked at me apologetically.

“Shut up, and get back to work, soldier”, I answered, and smirked.

He raised an eyebrow at me. “That’s colonel to you”, he said; leant over – almost folding me in half – and bottomed out again.

“Sir, yes, Colonel Flag, sir!”, I moaned, almost instantly climaxing around him. The feeling of my walls beginning to clench around him, made him groan. He continued thrusting into me in this position for a while, before getting on his knees, once again holding on to my thighs; so that my butt was lifted from the mattress.

I was mewling in pleasure. I simultaneously felt that I was being lifted into the air, and falling down a deep hole. _Down, down, down. Will the fall_ ever _come to an end?_. I was delirious.

Rick let go of my thigs, and my legs fell to either side of him. He was panting, straining to hold back. I could see his muscles tensing up, and hear his breathing grow more erratic.

He leant down over me again, continuously thrusting into me. I put my arms around him, one hand in his hair again, holding on to whatever I could to keep our bodies close.

He put a hand on either side of my face, and our lips met again, tongues melding for a few thrusts, before he looked me into the eyes. “Together?”, he panted. I nodded.

With a loud groan he increased his speed; our bodies so close that his pubic bone was stimulating my clit with our movements. I continuously rolled my hips, matching Ricks movements in and out of me.

The stars were returning before my eyes, and I let out a sound, letting Rick know I was close. He moaned in response; and bottomed out one last time; grabbing on to my shoulders, to force himself into me as far as he could.

Our bodies felt like we exploded together. The current I had felt before was back; this time fusing us together in pulses matching our heartbeats. My core spasmed around him. I felt his member twitch inside me, and his body convulsing on top of me.

Then we both melted. He relaxed his muscles, and rolled onto his back, pulling me with him, so that I was laying on his chest; our bodies still conjoined by our still convulsing nether regions.

“You’re gonna be the death of me, woman”, he said hoarsely, and I chuckled in response.

He pulled the blanket over us, and kissed the top of my head. I readjusted my body, and he slid out of me with a silent gasp.

“I’m gonna need a shower after that one”, I smiled. He laughed in response. “I don’t think there are any showers in the building, but”, he said, reaching for his pants on the floor, “I think I have some wet-wipes in my pocket”.

“Be prepared, huh? Such a good boy scout”, I teased. “Yeah, yeah. Laugh away”, he answered, and pulled out a pack of wipes.

While he prepared to clean himself of, I noticed something else having fallen out of his pocket. It was the polaroid that had been in my crate of gear back at Belle Reve. Looking at my smiling face on the picture; where I was standing with a foot on the seat of a folding chair, holding on to the back rest; and the other leg raised in the air above me – I bit my lip and blushed.

“You kept this?”, I asked quietly.

His face reddened. “Yeah. I couldn’t let them burn it”. I kissed him softly in response.

We fell asleep in each others arms. The last thing I heard was the sound of a helicopter flying across the night sky outside the window


	11. Chapter 11

_We_ awoke from a loud banging on the door.

“Get up and get dressed, bitch. You got work to do!”, a gruff voice said. “Where the hell is her guard?”.

Rick flew up and put on his pants and shirt, faster than I’d ever seen anyone do. “Disappear!”, he whispered at me; and I went out of sight.

Opening the door, Rick stared down the guard outside. “What the hell are you doing here, asshole? You’re supposed to be watching the pastel psycho!”, he growled; making me bite my hand to avoid laughing at this new nickname for Harley.

“Sorry, sir. Right away, sir”, the guard answered, and ran off down the hall.

Rick closed the door again, and I reappeared, sputtering with laughter.

“Pastel psycho? Oh, she’s gonna love that!”, I chuckled. “Please don’t tell her I said that”, he said, and grabbed for his boots and jacket; before realizing I was standing naked in front of him.

He walked up to me, wrapped me in his arms, and kissed me deeply, making my knees go weak. “It might be a minute before I get to do this again”, he breathed, and latched on to my lips once more.

The room was still chilly, though we had fogged up the window quite a bit the night before. I was shivering from the cold, and Rick helped me gather my clothes.

Finally dressed, we shared one last kiss, before leaving the room to join the others; Rick once again holding on tightly to my arm.

Walking into the room with the cages, we were met by Waller, Edwards and the Tweedles; and the squad. They were standing over a folding table, looking at a map.

“How considerate of you to join us, Chess”, Waller said coldly, before looking to Rick. I pulled at my arm, to make it seem like he was holding on to hard. “Did she try to run?”, she asked him.

“I got her”, he answered, and pushed me towards the table.

“Yeah you do”, Harley smirked at us, before Floyd bumped her with his shoulder, mouthing a _shut up_ , and grinning in my direction.

“We’ve narrowed down the location of our target to this area, most likely this building”, Waller said pointing at the map.

“The target being?”, Harley asked with a half-smile. Waller looked at her indignantly. “That’s not important for you to know”, she answered. “All you need to know is that the leader of the group is a bad guy, and it’s your job to take him down”. Harley narrowed her eyes at the woman, before smiling again. “Anything you say, boss”.

Waller continued. “The building we believe they are occupying is close to Gotham U; making that the most probable target of their attack. You need to take them out before they make their move”. She put a small shoulder-bag on the middle of the table. “This is how you’ll do it”.

Rick opened the bag, and pulled out a square black box, with a number display on top of it. He carefully put it on the table, and took a step back; making everyone but Waller follow his lead.

“Waller, this is crazy”, he gasped. “You wanna blow this guy up?”.

“I won’t be blowing anyone up”, she answered, and looked at me. “Chess will”.

A murmur rose in the room, as I froze in place. “I don’t know the first thing about bombs!”, I squeaked.

“This one is quite simple”, Waller answered with a smile. “You press that red button, hold it in for three seconds, and let go. The timer is pre-set to 1 minute. After that, the bomb will go of. It’s quite forceful, so you should try to hurry out of the way”.

Rick moved towards her menacingly. “Waller, this is out the question. She can’t do this!”. “Why not? She’s been perfectly able to run away from explosives before”, she answered. “Her ankle”, he tried. “Seems to have healed up well enough”, Waller said, looking towards my leg, and my unbandaged ankle. “She’s even got a new pair of nice leggings to go with it”.

I’d discovered a new pair of leggings – identical to my own cut op ones – in my trunk, before we left Belle Reve.

“This is happening, colonel, and you need to get with the plan”, she said, staring him down. “Don’t forget, I have the same access to those nano-bombs as you do”, she finished, and looked in my direction. Ricks pained eyes met mine. I nodded slightly, and walked up to the table.

I picked up the small box. It was heavier than it looked; or maybe that was just because I was aware of the damage it could do. “This button right here?”, I asked, pointing at the little red nubbin under the display. “That’s it”, Waller answered. “And then I have 1 minute to haul ass out of the building”.

“You seem to know exactly what to do”, she smirked at me, and turned to the rest of the group.

“Now the rest of you. Your job is to get Chess as close to the building as you can”, she said. “Do _not_ go in to the building with her”. “Why?”, Floyd asked; loading his sniper rifle before the job at hand. “We believe they have cctv rigged up, and Chess needs to get as close to the target as she can. She can’t do that with you all holding on to her”.

Harley was fidgeting with her baseball bat. “In and out, huh?”, she asked. “Let’s do it”.

I placed the box in the shoulder-bag, and put it on; now carrying certain death at my hip.

“Yeah”, I said. “Let’s do it”.

“See you on the other side”, Waller said, and left the room, flanked by Edwards and the twins.

Taking the elevator down to the ground floor, everyone was quiet. The bag was heavy on my shoulder, and I concentrated on breathing without freaking out. I felt Ricks fingers lace into mine.

“You good?”, he asked. “Absolutely not”, I answered, smiling. “We all have your back”, he said, backed up by a grunt from Croc. “We ain’t letting nothing happen to you”, Floyd said.

“Oh, lighten up you bastards”, Digger exclaimed, slapping Ricks shoulder hard. “You’re all acting like she’s walking into her death”. “She’s carrying a live bomb”, Diablo said. “Right, I forgot about that one”, Digger grumbled.

\---

We were driven in a van to an alley about 3 blocks away from the targeted building.

“From here, we need to go in invisible”, Rick said. He pressed the button on his arm, the small light turning green.

“I need you all to hold on to me”, I explained.

Digger stepped up to me, took a firm hold of my left breast, and smiled at me; gold tooth shining brightly. Rick visibly tensed up. I raised my eyebrows at the aussie.

“You need to be touching a part of my skin”, I reiterated. “Well take your bloody top of then!”, he said exasperatedly.

Diablo smacked the back of his head, and Digger let go. “Well, you’re no fun at all”, he mumbled.

Ricks body relaxed, but he took a firm hold of his machine gun; obviously wanting nothing more than to blow Diggers head of.

“Where?”, Diablo asked, and looked at me seriously, ignoring the death-stare Digger was sending his way. I rolled up the sleeves of my jacket, baring my arms.

“One on each arm I guess”. Shrugging the jacket down my shoulders a bit, leaving them bare due to my loose top, I continued. “One on each shoulder”.

“That still leaves three of us”, Floyd said.

“What if I carried you?”, Croc asked. “It might work. Some of us could hold on to your legs, and we’d be more mobile”, Rick backed him up. “You also wouldn’t be spending your energy walking. We might get further”. I sighed. “Fine”, I said. I rolled up my leggings, and Croc bent to let me jump onto his back. “Piggybacking a crocodile is not how I saw my day going”, I grumbled. Croc chuckled quietly as I grabbed on to him; and I put my cheek to his neck, so we were skin to scales.

Harley took a hold of my left shoulder, and Floyd took my right; after being reminded to take of his glove. Rick placed a hand under my top, on my bare back. Digger, being exiled to my left leg, slid his fingers around my calf. Before he could get too frisky, Diablo moved up behind him, grabbing a hold of the same leg, his hand close to Diggers, to keep it in place.

This only left Katana. She said a few words in Japanese. “Katana, we need to move out. Now”, Rick said pointedly. She answered him, going of in a rant, before I interrupted her with an irritated voice. “Just touch my goddamn leg!”. She shut up, stifled a smile, and took a hold of my right leg.

“Let’s do this”, Rick said, and stroked my back with his thumb in encouragement. “Croc, you set the pace”.

I _smiled_ , and concentrated fiercely on letting my mirage surround us all.

I could hear members of the group gasp, as they saw their limbs disappear into a fog.

“This is some brujería”, Diablo whispered. “Says the pyrokinetic homeboy”, Floyd answered.

We began moving, as I held on for dear life to Croc. The air smelled like rain was coming, and the thought of that made me nervous, as our invisibility wouldn’t help us much, if a sudden shower decided to give away the shape of our bodies moving through it.

“Whoever is groping my ass; move it or lose it”, Floyd said. “Sorry man, I thought you was Harley”, Crocs voice chuckled. “Aw, that’s so sweet”, Harley giggled.

“Quiet!”, I gasped, my body purring fiercely. I could feel my energy being drained at a swift rate.

Croc was moving us forward quickly, getting us closer to our final destination.

We heard a scream from further down the street, and saw three masked men chasing after a man in a suit. “Boomer and Katana!”, Rick hissed. “Right, boss”, Digger answered, and let go of me. It took him a second to move, as he watched himself reappear. He shook his body, and ran off, getting behind a cluster of parked cars. Katana followed his move, recovering much faster.

Pausing for a second behind a parked bus, Harley stepped away, and smacked a sleazy looking guy across the head with her bat. She grabbed my shoulder again, and I made her disappear. We kept moving.

“Deadshot; the roofs”, Rick whispered, and Floyd let go. He climbed up a fire escape, towards the roofs.

Rumbling could be heard from the sky; a single raindrop landing on my cheek. I shuddered from the coldness of the air. “I need a break” I gasped.

Croc moved us towards a doorway, and we hid just inside the door. I was shivering.

“She’s drained”, Rick said, and put his jacket around me. I slid down on the floor. “Diablo?”, he said; and the tattooed man crouched in front of me. He lit his hand aflame, and I cupped my own around it, relishing in the warmth.

“This isn’t a good place to be taking a break”, Croc said, looking outside. “She can’t go on yet, not having to cover all of us”, Rick said angrily.

A loud thump on the ground was heard from outside. Digger came running through the door. “Floyd just took out some poor bugger on the roof, and we got company coming!”, he panted, and looked at me. “What’s with the kitty?”. “She’s spent, man”, Diablo said, looking at him, and then at Rick. “Flag, I can keep burnin’ this flame, but it ain’t gonna give her back the energy she’s lost”.

“I need sugar”, I said, voice weak. Rick grabbed a protein bar from his pocket. “Best I can do right now”, he said apologetically. I ate the bar, while scowling at him. “Boy scout”, I muttered, and tried to stand back up. “Shut up”, he said, and put my arm around his neck, so he could support my weight. “You good?”, he asked, voice soft. “Getting there”, I answered with a half-smile. Forgetting himself, he gave me a quick kiss on the forehead.

“Aaawwww!”, Harley said, finishing with a little squeak.

“Shit”, Rick muttered.

Katana roared something from outside the door; and Rick instantly looked worried. “Croc, go help her”, he said. “Diablo and Quinn; stay with Chess. Try to find her something to eat, anything to keep her energy up. Digger, on me”. “Aye, aye”, Digger said, and went to follow him.

“Croc”, I called just before he went out the door. “Smoke?”. He smiled and threw me his pack of cigarettes. “Goddammit”, Rick said, and ran out the door, the two others following close behind.

Diablo lit my cigarette for me, as Harley went through her purse. “Here”, she said; and handed me a small bag of pop rocks. “They’re the bubblegum kind”, she beamed.

Two puffs of the cigarette, and I was done. “Smoke’s not good for the lungs, mami”, Diablo smirked. “Shut up”, I coughed, and laughed back at him.

I poured the candy into my mouth, feeling the tiny explosions on my tongue. “So, he’s got a good pole that goes with that name?”, Harley jeered, and grinned at me. I instantly flushed red, and looked at the floor. “It’s not half bad”, I smirked. She squealed excitedly, and grabbed me in a tight hug. “I’m so happy for you. Even if he is a stick in the mud”.

The door opened, and Rick looked at us, confused for a second. “What are you…”, he said, and then shook his head. “Never mind. We cleared the street up to the block the building is on. You ready to move out?”. “Do I need to _smile_?”, I asked. “No, we should be good for about half a mile”. “Then lets go”, I said, and moved for the door with him.

“Hey”, Harley called from behind us. “What”, Rick said, and looked at her. “You break her heart, I break your neck”, she said, face serious.

He held her gaze. “Yes, ma’am”, he answered, took my hand, and we moved down the street.

\---

They hadn’t been kidding. The street was cleared alright. Not a bad guy in sight. I saw Croc carrying two bodies over his shoulders, throwing them into a dumpster, before joining the rest of us. Floyd appeared from somewhere. “Roofs are clean”, he said, and moved to the front of the group.

We moved forwards silently, Rick only letting go of my hand, once we reached the street-corner of our destination. The building was tall, and looked abandoned.

“This is it”, Rick said. “This is as close as we can get you”. He grabbed my hand again. “It’s gonna be ok”, I smiled at him. “I’ll be back here to enjoy the fireworks with you in no time”.

He put his hands on either side of my face, and kissed me. His tongue found mine, and we were lost in the moment, my hand in his hair, his on my back, pulling me impossibly closer.

Someone cleared their throat. We pulled away from each other, and saw the squad were all stood smirking at us. “When did this happen?”, Digger asked, followed by another smack to the head by Diablo.

I stepped back, took of Ricks jacket and handed it back to him. “One hour”, he said. “Then we move in to pull you out”. I nodded, and went to cross the street.

I hear footsteps behind me, and Harley grabbed my arm. “Take me with you!”, she said, face serious. “Waller said…”, I began. “Screw Waller! Trust me”, she said. Her expression was for once completely sane. I didn’t know why, but something was telling me to go with her request.

I looked towards Rick, who was shaking his head.

“Y/N!”, Harley insisted. “You’re gonna want me with you!”.

I sighed, looked deep into her pleading eyes, and nodded. She smiled broadly at me, put her hand on my exposed lower arm; and I _smiled_.

We ran across the street to the building, having difficulty being quiet, due to Harleys stilettos clicking against the concrete. There seemed to be only one entrance; a large wooden door, that turned out to be unlocked. We went inside and let the door close behind us.

Inside was a large staircase. We snuck up it, though we could see no enemies around.

Once on the first floor, Harley let go of my arm.

“Harley!”, I hissed, to get her to stay put. She ignored me, shed her coat, and threw it over a broken chair in the corner.

“Honey! I’m home!”, she called brightly.


	12. Chapter 12

A spotlight blazed at us. I stumbled backwards. “Harley!”, I hissed again. “Get back here!”.

She smiled in my general direction, unable to see me. “It’s fine, Chess”, she beamed. “Show yourself”.

I shook my head, but deciding to trust her, reappeared.

“Jonny, would you turn that down? It’s doing nothing for my complexion”, Harley called; and the spotlight was turned off; replaced by softer lights, coming from colored lightbulbs spread throughout the large hallway we were standing in.

A serious looking man in a suit stepped out in front of us, surrounded by masked enforcers; all carrying machine guns.

“Harley”, the man said. “You’re back. Again”. He did not sound pleased.

Harley introduced us. “Chess; Jonny Frost. Jonny; this is Chess. She’s my friend; and if you let anyone touch her, I’ll punch you in the dick. Again”, she jeered.

She took my hand excitedly. “Come on! I have someone I want you to meet”, she grinned; before stopping to plump up her hair. “Do I look ok?”, she asked. “You look like a high end escort, who got dressed in a candy shop”, I answered with a smile. “Perfect!”, she beamed.

Running up another flight of stairs and down a hallway – all the way dragging me with her – she stopped in front of a double door, painted over with a large grinning mouth, I knew all too well what represented. I didn’t like where this was headed.

The man named Frost had run after us with his men, and stepped in front her, blocking our path.

“This isn’t a good time, Harley”, he said gruffly. “Move, Jonny”, she said, and bared her teeth at him menacingly. “Or I’ll tell him about the time you tried on his favorite Rolex”.

Frost tightened his lips. “He’s got company”, he said. She shoved him out of the way. “Great!”, she smiled. “Bring us a tray of macaroons and some espresso. It’s been a long day”.

I grabbed her wrist, and held her back. “Harley; this isn’t a good idea!”, I whispered.

“This”, she said, “is our ticket to freedom!”.

She threw the door open and stepped inside.

“Hi, puddin’”.

\---

We were in white walled conference room. Walls were adorned with old paintings of what seemed like very important men; whose faces had all been retouched with spraypaint – making them smile menacingly at me. There was a crystal chandelier hanging over a long table; set with plates and silverware for guests that didn’t seem to have had the guts to show up. There were lobsters, cheeseburgers, exotic fruits and jellybeans; laid out on silver trays. Jewelry and money were thrown about the table between the trays.

At the end of the table sat a man with a pale gaunt face, green slicked back hair, and terrifying blue eyes. He was wearing a white tuxedo, shirt open to show the many tattoos and gold chains on his chest. His painted lips spread in a snarl; and he stood up; putting his hands on the table to lean over it.

_The Joker_. My breath hitched, and I could hear my heart beat in fear.

Next to him, sitting in front of a bowl of what looked like clam chowder; was a man that seemed familiar. In another chair, in the corner, sat a man in a lab coat, working on a tablet.

“Princess”, the clown sneered. “Last time I saw you, we had an… _exchange”._

Harley pouted innocently. “I know”, she said. “I shouldn’t have taken the lambo out on my own”. She fluttered her lashes at him.

Frost, who had followed us inside; was smirking at her from where he was stood, leaning against the wall.

Joker exhaled in a way that sounded like a mix between a growl and a laugh. “It wasn’t so much the joyride, as the scratch across the hood; from your impromptu dance party on top of it – in stilettos, I might add”, he said, slammed his fist into the table, and stared at her intensely.

Harleys eyes started to well up, and her pink lower lip vibrated.

“Harley…”, Joker said softly; and suddenly leapt onto the table; his snakeskin boot stepping in the bowl of chowder, spraying the content in the face of the man in front of it.

Kicking a lit candelabra out of the way, and stepping on a tray of pearls and grapes; Joker stomped down the makeshift runway of the tabletop. Harley squealed, and sprang up to meet him, running into his arms.

“I missed you, bunny”, he growled, and grabbed Harleys butt cheeks; making her jump into his arms, straddling his hips. She squealed, and latched on to his lips; and they began making out in a way I hadn’t seen anyone do since high school. “I can’t stay mad at you”, he smiled between kisses.

Frost met my eyes, and rolled them at me. _Here we go again_ , he seemed to be saying; and I couldn’t help but smile.

Joker laid Harley down on the table, and crawled on top of her; shedding his tuxedo jacket in the process – revealing a gun holster carrying a large silver revolver. Harley grabbed on to the back of his head, as he moved downwards, attacking her neck and collarbone with brutal kisses.

Frost cleared his throat, and the green-haired crimelord looked up, meeting my eyes in a terrifying glare.

“What’s this?”, he snarled.

Remembering herself, Harley grinned at him. “Oh yeah!”, she said. “I brought you a present, baby!”.

Joker sprang of the table in a swift move, and walked up to me; head tilted – never breaking eye contact.

I couldn’t blink. _Ok. I’m dead_ , I thought for the second time in just a few days; and swallowed hard.

Harley came running up behind him, hooking her arm into his, and smiled brightly – lipstick smeared across her chin from their make out-session.

“This is Chess”, Harley said. “Chess, this is my Joker”. She put her head on his shoulder.

Giving Harley a quick pat on the head – still not breaking eye contact with me – he shrugged her off, and stepped towards me again.

“Chess…”, Joker breathed, baring his gleaming gold rimmed teeth. “You’re the disappearing girl”. My breath hitched, as he came closer; and I began to move backwards. He grinned at me, and put his hand up, as if coaxing a small animal.

“Here, kitty kitty kitty…”, he said, and moved up slowly until his face was merely a foot away from mine.

“She’s got a killer smile, puddin’”, Harley said from behind him.

In a swift move, he grabbed a hold of both sides of my face, and moved in so close that I could feel his warm breath on my skin.

“Show me”, he demanded with a sneer.

Not moving, I glanced towards Harley, who was nodding at me encouragingly.

Taking a deep shaking breath; I focused, and _smiled_.

The clowns breath hitched, and his eyes widened from seeing my face disappear between his hands. He jumped back, looking from his hands to where I had been standing.

_This would be a good time to run_ , I thought to myself, but for some reason, I decided against it. I reappeared.

Joker cried out at seeing my shape return; then began laughing. “Oh, honey!”, he declared. “This is the best present you have ever given me!”.

“Even better than the Rolex?”, Harley answered, sending a leering look in Frosts direction. The man looked down at his feet. “Can we keep her?”, Harley asked.

Joker growled, and grabbed her waist, pulling her into a violent kiss.

“Mr. Joker?”, a voice called from the other end of the table. The chowder man was wiping his face with a napkin. Joker angrily unlatched himself from Harley again.

“Jerry, I was having a moment here!”, he growled.

I looked at the stout man, whose suit was still stained.

_Judge Jeremiah Kelper._

I breathed heavily – every fiber in my body in attack mode. I clenched my fists; and my claws sprang out. Storming towards the slimy politician; Frost sprang out of nowhere, and held me in a tight grip, as I snapped my teeth at his hands, trying to break free.

“Do you two know each other, Jerry?”, Joker asked with a smile.

Harley looked from me to the judge; eyes serious.

Kelper looked at me; a scar running from his cheekbone down to his chin. _I made my mark, alright_ , I grinned to myself. “I’ve never met the young lady in my life”, Kelper said. _Well I was invisible for most of our last… encounter_.

“How’re the balls, your honor”, I hissed.

Joker turned his face to look at me. With a sudden realization, he laughed loudly.

“Ghosts, Jerry?”, he guffawed. He walked up to Kelper, and patted his cheek. “You should probably leave, before I let my newest pet loose on you. We’ll finish this meeting tomorrow”.

“But mr. Joker” Kelper began. “I really need to talk to you about these attacks in Downtown”.

Faster than a lightning strike; the clowns revolver was aimed at Kelpers head. He gulped. “T-tomorrow”, he stammered; and went to leave the room – taking a wide path around me and Frost.

He quietly closed the door behind him.

“Now, where were we”, Joker said; and looked at Harley pointedly. She shrieked excitedly, and ran into his arms.

“Let’s go. Give them some privacy”, Frost said, and pulled at me. I tried to struggle. “Trust me”, he said. “You don’t want to see this”.

From behind us I heard groans and moans. “Mr. J…”, Harleys voice gasped.

We left the room as swiftly as we could.

\---

I was put in a smaller room furnished with an intricately patterned couch. A six-pack of off brand cokes were set on the table, next to a plate of sushi I didn’t have the appetite to eat.

I wasn’t exactly a prisoner; but a man had been posted outside the room for _if I needed anything_ , as Frost had said, before leaving me alone.

About an hour had gone by, when I heard a gentle knock at the door. Harley stepped inside; wearing a bright purple minidress, and a brand new diamond necklace.

“Wow”, I said, staring at it. “It’s just a little something”, she beamed, and gestured for me to sit next to her on the couch.

“That judge”, she asked, “was he the one you neutered a year ago?”, she asked earnestly.

“How did you know?”, I asked. “I might have eavesdropped on you and the pole when you was talking”, she answered.

_Rick!_ “Harley, we need to get out of here!”, I said, panicked. “Why”, she asked indignantly. “Because if we don’t return to Flag and the others, they’ll come in after us, and that’s not a fight I think they can win”. “Flag or J?”, she asked, brows furrowed. “Maybe both”, I answered.

Harley popped a maki roll into her mouth, and chewed audibly. “We can’t go right now. I haven’t seen my puddin’ in forever”. I shook my head at her. “This isn’t the time for a Bonnie and Clyde, going out guns blazing situation!”.

She sighed, and toyed with the heavy necklace. “I talked to J”. I raised my eyebrow at her. “What?”, she said. “We talk. Sometimes… in between…”. Her eyes glazed over for a second, before returning to focus, and she shook her head. “Anyway. My J has been hanging out with that judge for a while. He’s been throwing him some parties; helping him out with some cash. Apparently judgie is a fan of cheap strippers and expensive scotch; but that’s not so good when you got a political career to tend to… You know. That old story”. Another roll disappeared into her mouth.

“Is this relevant to our _about to die_ situation?”, I hissed.

She looked at me, annoyed. “I’m gettin’ to it. Gosh…”. She licked her fingers. “So. J’s been throwing some money in Kelpers direction. And in return, Kelpers made sure the cops look the other way when puddin’s been doing business around the city”. So Kelper was working with the Joker. That much I had gathered. “And?”, I coaxed at her to continue.

“Kelper’s been getting’ a bit upset lately, since J’s moved in on Downtown. Some bank or other was robbed; and suddenly, the limp bastard doesn’t want to continue their partnership”. She raised a brow and smirked at me. “Apparently, letting criminals run free in your city, doesn’t look good when you’re running for congress”.

I was still confused. I was also drained, so I opened a soda can; and began drinking from it.

Harley continued. “Now today”, she suddenly leered at me, “Kelper told my J that he needed to back down. Or else”. “I’m sure Joker took that well”, I said, and took a sip. “That bowl of chowder in front of him wasn’t clam”, she grinned. “It was pigs balls”.

I choked on the soda running down my throat, and coughed. Harley slapped my back and giggled at me. Once I’d calmed myself, she continued.

“Kelper told J that he had _friends in high places_ ”, she said.

“That’s why Waller wants the Joker dead”, I realized. Having a crony in congress would definitely help her further her own agenda. Especially surrounding the question of tracking down bad guys, and sending them on what pretty much amounted to suicide missions. “Duh!”, Harley smiled. “Here’s the thing. You want to get back at that judge. And I don’t want my boyfriend dead”. She looked at me pointedly.

“So we work together”.

We heard running down the hall. Joker swung open the door and looked at us. He was flanked by the man in the lab coat, and Frost.

“Snickerdoodle, we have company!”, he said, and looked me in the eyes. “This is it, Chessy Chesschess. In or out”.

I heard gunshots from downstairs. He snarled at me. “You want that collar off?”. I looked down at my harness. The light was still green. I nodded at him. “Good kitty. Doc, make it happen!”, he growled. The doctor furiously typed something on his tablet, and the little light on my chest went black. I quickly rid myself of the harness, and threw it on the floor. Joker grabbed Harleys hand. “Lets go!”.

More gunshots. I could hear Ricks angry voice roar. Harley looked from my worried face to the clowns. “Don’t hurt our friends too much. And leave the soldier alone”. “You steppin’ out on me, pumpkin?”, he asked her in a menacing voice. “’Course not baby. But this one has a thing for men in uniform”, she answered, and nodded in my direction.

Joker gave a final snarl, and nodded at Frost – making the man run in the direction of the gunfire.

Harley took a hold of me.

“Grab her arm!”, Harley told Joker, and he put his cold hand around my uncovered wrist. I made us disappear.

\---

We ran up down the hallway, leading us to a separate staircase. I heard running behind us, and a yelp from a henchman; as Croc bit into his shoulder, and threw him over his head.

“Where are they?”, Ricks voice boomed. I was aching to show myself; but the Jokers icy hand reminded me of what I needed to do.

Once at the bottom of the stairs, my companions let go of me. We were met by Frost holding open a back door for us. Outside stood the ghastliest sports car I’d ever seen. Chrome, neon purple varnish, and gold rims. “Get in!”, Joker yelled, and got behind the wheel; Harley joining him in the front seat. “Chess!”, she called.

The door behind us swung open, and Rick ran through it, clocking Frost over the head with the back end of his gun.

“Y/N!”, he hollered at me, eyes furious.

Joker aimed his revolver at him, and I stepped in to the line of shot. “Don’t, puddin’!”, Harley yelled, and grabbed for his arm. Joker growled, but put the gun down.

“What are you doing, kitten?”, Rick asked, voice shaking.

I walked up to him, and put my hands on either side of his face.

“Don’t do this, baby”, he pleaded; his eyes intense. I kissed him softly.

“You asked me to trust you. Now I’m asking you to trust me”, I said. “Let me go. Please!”. He furrowed his brows, then pulled me in for another kiss. He put his forehead to mine.

“Go”, he said hoarsely.

I ran to the car; and threw myself into the back seat. The Joker revved the engine, and then sped off; the force of it throwing me into my seat.

I turned my head to look out the back window. Behind us Rick and my friends were disappearing into the fog of the city.


	13. Chapter 13

I was lounging on a love seat in the large house the Joker had taken us to; pretending to read a magazine Harley had offered me.

Frost had shown up at the house about 30 minutes after us, with a bump on his head, and a sneer plastered across his face. He insisted that the squad were gone by the time he came too.

The house was just as ghastly as the car had been; with bear skin rugs and clashing patterns on all the furniture. There was no doubt that 99% of it was stolen.

Playing a weird game of tag, Harley and the Joker were chasing each other throughout the house; squealing and growling at each other, each time one of them managed to catch the opponent.

I was thinking something fiercely.

I’d followed Harley and her psycho boyfriend into the Palisades, without any idea of what my next move should be.

Throwing herself into the seat next to me, Harley was laughing; out of breath.

“J is getting me a new puppy”, she giggled. “Those stupid animal rights activists took back my last one, when I was sent back to Louisiana”.

“What’s the plan here, Harley”, I asked.

“I dunno. It’s your turn to think of something”, she answered trustingly.

I sighed.

“I need to make sure Kelper doesn’t make it to congress”, I said.

“Revenge?”, she asked.

“No”, I answered. “There are enough shitheads in office as it is – look at the main guy in charge! We don’t need another one”. I crossed my arms. “Also a little bit of revenge, yeah”, I admitted.

“Yeah that judge does seem like a dick”, Harley muttered.

“No”, I said. “This is about Waller. She has enough power as it is. She doesn’t need to be able to keep hunting people like us down, and force us to do things we don’t want to. Even if we _are_ bad guys”.

She grabbed my face between her hands.

“I’m with you”, she said, and kissed my forehead with a loud smack. “Tell me what to do!”.

I beamed at her. She was a good friend. Even if she was bat shit crazy.

“I need to be able to prove the connection between mr. J and Kelper”, I said; and looked down at my feet. “That does mean, that J won’t be able to use him for protection from the cops anymore”.

Harley was biting her lip.

“Huh”, she said. “He ain’t gonna like that”.

“I know”, I replied. “But we need him to”.

“Harley!”, the Joker called from somewhere. “Come out, come out wherever you are!”.

Harley sighed, then looked into my eyes, and nodded.

“Marco!”, Joker called from the kitchen.

“Polo!”, Harley answered, still looking at me; then grinned, and sprang from the couch to hide from the clown.

—

“Chess has a live bomb in her bag”, Harley said conversationally during breakfast.

I instantly froze; mouth agape – prepared to feel my throat being slit at any moment.

“Oh?”, the Joker said, gazing up from over the newspaper he’d been reading – well, not so much newspaper as comic book. “That’s nice, dear”. He looked back down.

Harley – curlers in her hair, and wearing a pink fluffy bathrobe – continued.

“Yup. It’s a pretty nasty one too”. She returned to her marshmallow cereal.

Joker put down his comic book and looked at her.

“Is there something you’d like to say, toots? Something I need to know?”.

I was shaking in my seat; and I gently put down the golden rimmed porcelain cup of coffee in my hand.

“Uhm, Harley. I don’t think this is the time…”.

“Please, Chess”, Joker said to me, lowering his old-fashioned reading glasses. “In this house everyone can say whatever they want, whenever they want. We mustn’t stifle others expressions”.

I nodded fiercely.

“A-absolutely, yes. Of course. I’m sorry”, I stammered.

He quickly reached across the table, and grabbed my hand, putting it between his own.

“I could tell you meant that”, he grinned.

Letting go of my hand, he turned to face Harley again.

“Now where were we, doll? Chess has a bomb in her bag?”, he said calmly.

Harley swallowed some of her orange juice.

“Yeah. It’s a black box, with a little display on it. Pre-set to 1 minute”.

“That sounds fun”, Joker said cheerfully. “What’s it for?”.

Harley got up from her seat, and went to stand behind her beloved madman; massaging his shoulders and neck, making him close his eyes and groan in pleasure. She slid her hands down his shoulders under the flowered kimono he was wearing.

“You know that mean lady, who’s been putting me in that bad place?”. Joker grunted in response. “Well those _friends in high places_ Jerry was moaning about? That’s her”.

The Joker opened his eyes, and looked over his shoulder at her.

“Kelper’s friends with the witch?”, he asked.

Harley went to sit on his lap, and laced her fingers behind his neck.

“No, not the witch; the bitch. The witch is dead”, she said.

“Right, right”, Joker answered. “So?”.

“Well”, Harley continued, “the _bitch_ gave Chess the bomb to blow you up; so you’d stop asking Kelper for favors”.

The clown looked at me, brows – or lack thereof – furrowing.

“You were going to blow me up?”.

I jumped in my seat.

“Oh, no. Absolutely not. Once I knew who you were…”. Harley interrupted me.

“Puddin’, Chess would never do anything like that. We were coming to tell you about the bomb; but then that stupid judge was there, and Chess got all upset, because she really hates his guts”. She kissed his forehead. “We plain old forgot!”.

Joker groaned.

“I spent a lot of money on Kelper. We had a lot of parties”.

“A lot of parties”, Harley nodded, backing him up. “So, maybe… we should do something about it”.

“Oh, snuggle-tits. I need the judge for my business”, Joker said, and looked adoringly at her.

My heartbeat was calming down, and I could think more clearly. I took a small sip of my coffee.

“Mr. J”, I began. “You probably know that I used to work for the Hatter”.

The Joker guffawed and snarled all at once.

“That idiot”.

“Yeah, well”, I continued, “I could work for you, like I did for him. Getting you information, money…”.

“I have money”, he interrupted.

“A new Lamborghini?”, I tried.

His eyes lit up.

“I’m listening”.

I sat up straight. _Here we go_.

“Kelper is pulling out of your arrangement. He’s even gone so far as getting someone to try to kill you”.

“Well that happens at least once a week”, he said, and shook his head. Harley stroked her fingers through his green hair.

“There’s that girl”, she said, and looked at me.

“What girl?”, Joker asked.

“Well”, Harley continued, “Kelper did some pretty nasty things to a girl who used to work at that place… what was it called?”.

“Sammy’s”, I answered. “It’s a burlesque club in the Narrows”.

I casually took another sip of my coffee, that at this point had gone cold. My face contorted from the taste.

Joker looked at me with narrowed eyes.

I continued.

“About a year and a half ago, Kelper raped and beat an 18 year old girl that worked there”, I said. “She’s still suffering from the attack”.

He patted Harleys thigh to get her to get of his lap.

“Jonny!”, he called, getting to his feet himself.

Frost came into the dining room.

“Yeah, boss?”.

“We own the Narrows, don’t we?”, he asked, and walked slowly towards his minion.

“Yeah, for about 2 years now”, Frost answered, not meeting his eyes.

“And do you know about a bar named Sally’s?”.

“ _Sammy’s_ , yeah it’s a stripjoint”, Frost said.

“ _Burlesque_ club”, Harley whispered into Jokers ear.

“ _Burlesque_ club, Jonny”, Joker said, and grabbed the back of Frosts head. “There is a _big_ difference”. Patting Frosts cheek, he went to sit down again.

“So _Sammy’s_ have been paying their dues, have they not?”.

“Never missed a pay-date”, Frost retorted.

Joker – now sitting down – slammed both his fists into the table, making us all jump.

“Then would you mind telling me, why one of the young ladies working there, was _attacked_ and _raped_ ; while she was supposed to be under _our_ protection?”, he yelled; his slicked back hair now disheveled, and falling into his face.

“This doesn’t look good, Jonny! This makes _me_ look _bad_!”, he shouted.

“I know, boss”, Frost tried. “But it was Kelper, and you told us to stay clear of him”.

Joker jumped out of his chair, and threw it at Frost; only narrowly missing the man.

“Get out. Find Kelper. Bring him to _me_!”, he growled. “And get Chess new _hot_ cup of coffee. That cold stuff is a disgrace”.

Frost rushed a fresh cup of coffee to me, and ran out the door; already on his phone, yelling at someone.

The Joker found a new chair, and pulled it up to his place at the table. He smoothed his hair back down, and exhaled.

Harley went to stand behind him, and put a hand on his shoulder.

He grabbed my hand like he had before, and looked at me seriously.

“Now”, he said. “Chess. Chessie. My dear. Thank you for making me aware of this problem in my organization. Am I also to understand that you were the one to punish Jer-Jer after his misdeed with the young woman?”.

I smiled brightly, doing my best to seem cheerful.

“That was me, alright!”.

Joker grined.

“Well, when you think about it, you did our job for us!”, he smiled widely. “So I _owe_ you. You came in to this house a stranger; but now – you’re family”.

Harley squealed, and jumped up and down, clapping her hands.

Great. I wasn’t only the clowns newest pet and employee; I was apparently _family_.

Shit.

“I still want that Lamborghini”, Joker finished, and went to get dressed.

—

We drove to a building not far from the one we had been at the night before.

“Puddin’ you know this means you can’t work with Kelper no more, right?”, Harley said, as we were getting out of the car.

“Yes, yes, squishy-butt, I know”, he answered. “This is going to be _fun_!”, he snickered, and put his arm around her waist.

I followed them into the building, and down into a basement. In the middle of the dark room sat Kelper, handcuffed to a chair. A single lightbulb was lit above him.

Masked henchmen were spread around the room, covering the exits.

“Jerry!”, Joker said, arms spread into the air as we entered. “Thank you so much for being able to reschedule our meeting. I’m so, so happy you agreed to this location”.

The judge was gagged, had a black eye, and there was already a wet stain under the chair from where he had urinated his pants.

Harley jumped onto a table near the scene, and crossing her legs; she began to file her nails.

I stayed in the shadows; out of Kelpers line of sight.

The clown went to stand in front of his victim, putting a hand on each of his knees, coming down to eyelevel with him. He wrinkled his nose.

“Jer-Jer. Were you that excited to see me?”, he asked. He removed Kelpers mouth gag.

“P-please; Mr. Joker. I don’t know what this is about!”, he stammered.

“This, my friend”, Joker said, “is about your plans for your political future!”.

Frost appeared from the shadows with a chair, that Joker pulled up in front of Kelper. He sat down.

“It’s recently come to my attention that you’ve decided to run for congress”.

“Yes, mr. Joker. I was the one that told you about it myself”, Kelper said.

Joker smacked him across the face, and then pointed a finger at him.

“It’s _rude_ to interrupt!”, he roared.

“Yes, of course. I’m sorry”, Kelper said.

Joker smiled.

“I take a great interest in politics, as you know. I’m even the governor of my own little corner of Gotham. And I find it’s very important to make sure that the people I govern feel _safe_ ”.

Kelper nodded.

“Good! So you know where I’m coming from”, the clown continued. “Then I come to hear that someone decided to cause problems in my little paradise. Apparently, a very silly man decided to pay a visit to a burlesque club, and play a little too roughly with one of the lovely dancers there”.

I saw Kelpers eyes widen in fear.

“I didn’t know that would be an issue for you, I swear!”.

The Joker patted his cheek gently.

“Well it is”, he half whispered.

Jumping from the chair, he ran to sit down next to Harley.

“Hi, sugar lips”, he said; and put his arm around her, before calling out.

“Chess!”.

I stepped out of the shadows, and pulled down my hood. Kelper looked at me, recognizing me from the meeting the day before.

“Miss, I don’t know what he’s paying you, but I’ll match and double it!”, he tried desperately.

I sat down in front of him.

“You smell like piss”, I said. He gulped. I sighed. “So this is not going to be fun for you. At all”.

His facial expression changed.

“Do your best, bitch. I’ve been through worse!”.

“Oh?”, I asked. The judge was about to spit in my face, but didn’t have the chance to do so, before I headbutted him.

I rubbed my forehead. _That hurt_ , I thought, but cheered up, when I saw that I had obviously broken his nose.

Joker and Harley roared with laughter from the table.

“So, you’ve had it worse, huh?”, I asked.

He ground his teeth, and nodded.

I _smiled_ and slowly began disappearing into a mist.

Kelpers facial expression immediately changed from prideful to pure fear. He began jumping in the chair, screaming; and managed to fall over; landing in his own wet pool.

“Ew”, Harley said from next to a gleeful Joker.

“Sshh, Harls’. I’m watching this”, he said.

Frost pulled Kelper back into a seated position.

“Get the camera”, I said to him, reappearing in my seat.

I clenched my fist, letting my claws come out.

“I heard you’re going to have some reconstructive surgery, your honor”, I said, looking down at my claws. “Jonny here could find me a pair of rocks, and I could do the deed for you. It’s only polite, seeing as I’m the one to blame for your whole ordeal in the first place…”.

Kelper began crying.

“No, no. Please. I’ll do whatever you want. I will!”, he sobbed.

Frost came in to the light, two plum-sized rocks in one hand, and a smartphone in the other. I took the items into my hands.

“Ok. Now, you can chose one of these gifts; and I won’t take no for an answer!”, I beamed. “Either you chose to let me help you make a nice little video, where you tell the world about your rape and beating of that young woman 18 months ago – along with an account of your dealings with criminal organizations in Gotham. That will make your family really proud of you, and you’ll instantly feel better about your misdeeds. Or…”.

I showed him the two rocks.

“… you let me help you by filling that empty sack of yours”.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Joker and Harley both leaning in to hear his answer.

Kelper sobbed, and a bloody glob of snot ran out of his broken nose.

“The video. I’ll do the video”.

“Boring”, Joker snarled quietly, and Harley patted his leg soothingly.

I pulled out the phone.

“Don’t worry Jerry. This will be over in no time”. I started filming. “Action”.

Kelper opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

“Look into the camera. Say your name”, I whispered.

He looked into the lens, and began.

“My name is Jeremiah Kelper. I am a judge in Gotham city”. He paused, and I kicked his shin.

“And”, he yelped, “18 months ago, I raped and beat a young woman I was giving a ride home in my limousine”. He sobbed. “I then… let two of my friends rape her, while I watched”.

I was struggling not to run my claws through his heart.

“Continue”, I hissed. Kelper did as asked.

“I have also been receiving payoffs from the crime lord known as the Joker”.

“That’s me!”, the Joker said, and jumped into frame; giving Kelper a wet kiss on the cheek. “We’ve been the best of friends, for a long, long time”, he said, and patted Kelpers shoulder.

“Isn’t this enough?”, Kelper cried.

“Apologise!”, I growled.

“Yes!”, Joker exclaimed. “And tell them that you’ve been a bad, bad boy. Say; _I’m Jerry, and I’m a bad, bad boy_!”.

Kelper sobbed again.

“I’m so sorry. I’ve abused my office, and I’ve hurt a young woman who didn’t deserve it”.

“No one deserves what you did to her!”, I snarled.

“No, no one deserves that”, he admitted.

“Bad boy!”, Harley yelled from her table, making Kelper jump in his seat.

“I’m Jerry, and I’m a _bad_ , _bad_ boy”, he finished.

“Cut! Scene! Print!”, Joker called, and gave the judge a hard slap on the back. “Good job, Jer-jer! This is one for the books!”.

I put the phone in the bag with the bomb I was still carrying. It was over.

—

A loud crash was heard. While we had been filming, the room had been almost cleared of Jokers minions, as they’d disappeared into the shadows.

The lights went out, and I felt a gush of wind over my head.

“No!”, Joker shouted.

A hard punch to my shoulder made me fall to the floor, and I dropped the bag, accidentally kicked it; and watched it slide into the darkness somewhere.

Panicking, I scrambled to find it, my shoulder pulsing with pain.

A gunshot was heard, followed by the sound of Harleys shriek, as she was thrown across the floor.

I got on my feet, and ran in the direction of where I thought the bag might be.

Someone grabbed my arm, holding me in place.

“Leave it”, a gravelly voice said. “Keep your head down”.

_Shit…_


	14. Chapter 14

I ran to a wall, searching for an exit. Hearing gunshots from outside, I became confused. _The Bat works alone_ , I thought. The lights turned back on.

In the middle of the room stood a tall, caped figure.

_This is ridiculous!_ , I thought. “You picked a hell of a time to show up, guano jerk!”, I yelled at him; readying myself for a fight – one that I was sure to lose, but I wasn’t going out lying down.

The door we had entered through sprang open, and in ran my friends; Rick leading the charge.

My heart nearly jumped through my chest. “Rick!”, I screamed, all dignity gone.

When he saw me, his eyes instantly lit up. “Y/N”, he yelled. “Get into cover!”.

“Stupid bat! You’re ruining another date night!”, Harley yelled, and shot in the direction of the caped crusader, missing by several feet. I looked in her direction. She was standing in cover behind a pillar. Behind her laid the bag.

I sprang towards her, and threw myself at the floor, sliding across it on my stomach. Grabbing the strap of the bag; I made myself disappear. I ran towards Rick; but my ankle gave in to pain, and I fell, reappearing a couple of feet from another pillar, dragging myself to sit behind it.

The Bat ran towards me, but the Joker shot at him from the cover of the now turned over table, Harley and he had been sitting on earlier. Forcing the Bat to jump for cover; gave Joker the time to run towards my pillar, avoiding balls of fire and gunshots, coming from Rick and Diablo. Before he could reach me, Floyd shot at the ceiling above him; making it rain dust and debris around him. He went to join Harley at her hiding place.

The Bat once again ran towards me. He was hit in the back by a wooden crate, thrown by Croc; and fell to the floor; struggling to get back up. Katana came at him then, sword raised; but he tripped her with a shot from his rope-gun, making her fall over – legs bound.

_Who the hell is fighting who?_ , I thought. I climbed to my feet, and began limping towards Rick again. He was covering behind the table the clown had occupied.

A bullet whistled past my head. I was suddenly covered by thick black fabric; and swung around to lay on my back – the bat over me; staring at me with angry eyes.

“I told you to keep your head down!”, he rumbled. “The hell I will!”, I hissed; and swung for him with my claws.

He rolled to the side, allowing me to get up on all fours.

“Y/N!”, Rick shouted again; running towards me while aiming at the masked asshole I’d just gotten out from under.

A gunshot landed at my feet, making me stumble and fall again; the bag being pulled out of my grasp as I did.

“Thank you, Chess!”, the Joker smiled down at me, and moved backwards towards the door, aiming at me.

“Hand over the bomb, Joker”, the Bat growled.

The clown held on to the bag firmly, aiming his gun at the caped man. “No. I’m sorry, but this is my new toy. And I don’t like sharing!”, he yelled, and pulled his trigger.

The Bat leapt out of the way; and the bullet hit the wall behind him.

Rick aimed his gun at the Joker. “Give us the bag, asshole!”, he shouted.

“Language!”, Joker roared, aiming his gun at him.

Harley kept her aim firmly on the Bat. “Let’s go, puddin’”, she said, and they both began to back towards the door.

“Quinn!”, Floyd called. “Come on, doll. We went into this together, let’s get out of this together!”.

“I’m sorry guys, but I can’t leave my J again”, she said sadly.

Joker pulled at her arm to come with him. “Come on, tootsie pop”, he beckoned, swinging the bag over his shoulder.

“Harley, the phone is in there”, I cried out desperately.

Harley froze. “Puddin’, they need that bag”, she said pleadingly. “Yeah, and I need my boom”, Joker answered. “Let’s go”.

“Harley!”, I tried again.

She looked from us to her lover. “I’m sorry, puddin’”, she said, moved her aim; and shot.

The Joker fell to the ground growling, holding on to his leg. She grabbed the bag, and slid it across the floor, in the direction of where the rest of us where standing.

The Bat dove for the bag, grabbing it, just as it landed in front of Digger; who’d spent the most of the fight in hiding – his loyalties in an uproar. He didn’t seem to know whether to fight him for the bag, or just step back, and let events unfold.

Frost reappeared through the door behind Joker and Harley; followed by a dozen masked minions, all aiming at us.

Harley went to her knees next to Joker. “I am so sorry, puddin’. But I had to do that”. He snarled and threw his head in frustration. “Fine!”, he yelled. “Babe, this is the lambo all over again!”, he said to Harley.

“I know”, she pouted. Frost dragged the clown to his feet, letting him lean against him for support. Harley fluttered her lashes. “See you in a couple of months?”, she asked.

The Joker smirked. “You know it, cupcake”, he said, and grabbed her face to kiss her.

“That’s all there is to that”, she smiled.

The group backed out of the door, aiming at us all the way. “Chess; you’re fired”, Joker called in my direction, as he disappeared.

Harley slowly walked towards us, sniffling. Diablo grabbed her in a warm embrace, and Croc patted her head.

Katana said something. “No thanks”, Harley answered. “He’s still my puddin’”.

Digger found a can of beer in one of his pockets, and offered it to her. She accepted it with a sad smile.

Rick took me into his arms, kissing the top of my head. “Let’s get out of here”, he said, and we moved for the door at the opposite end of the room.

“Chess!”. We stopped in our tracks. The Bat walked up to us.

“Careful”, I frowned. “You don’t want to damage government property”. Rick straightened his back, ready to act if needed.

The Bat chuckled hoarsely. “No”, he said. “I want to apologize”.

“For what?”, I asked. “For using my friend to get to me? For selling me out to Waller, and letting her torture me?”.

“I was going to say; for putting that GPS-tracker in your new leggings”, he smiled.

I shook my head. “Of course”, I said.

“Look”, he continued. “You seem like a righteous person. You don’t belong with these people”. He gestured at the squad, who were now flanked by the guards from our flight.

“I am gathering a group of friends, who all have special abilities”, he said. “We’ll be working towards a better future for not only America, but the world. I want you to join us”.

I looked at him, disbelieving. “Taking down criminals?”, I asked. “Yes”, he answered. “And who are those criminals? My friends here?”. “Well…”, he said; but didn’t continue.

I sighed. “You believe to be on the side of the good; but at the same time you’re breaking the law – deciding who gets punished, and who doesn’t. I’d say that’s pretty criminal in itself”, I said. “I don’t make it my business to decide who is bad and who is good. I just want to help people”.

“Look, man”, Rick said, grabbing my hand to hold. “Whatever you might think of these people, whatever they’ve done in the past… The work they’re doing now is important. And it’s work no one else will do”.

“You force them to do it”, the Bat answered.

“He’s got a point, mate”, Digger called at him.

“Yeah, he does”, Rick admitted. “But at least you can go back to your cell, knowing you made a difference, without being sanctimonious about it”.

I looked the Bat in his eyes.

“My side of the fence does seem a lot less self-righteous”, I said.

The Bat nodded. “We’ll probably meet again”, he said. “For your own sake, make sure it’s not as opponents”.

“Right back at ya’”, I said. “By the way; 1-2-3-4-5 is a shitty combination for a safe holding such important papers, Bruce”.

My fingers laced with Ricks, we followed our group out of the building. I could feel the Bats eyes on my back as we walked away. “Are you ok?”, Rick asked. “I am now”, I answered. “Shit, the bag!”, I remembered.

I spun around towards where the Bat had been standing. He was gone.

“Fuck!”, I screamed frustratedly; and limped back towards the middle of the room, desperately trying to see where he might have gone.

Rick grabbed me from behind, embracing me as tears began to stain my eyes. I wept into his shoulder, and he stroked my back; kissing my hair. “It was all for nothing”, I sobbed. “I didn’t make a difference at all”.

“Hey”, Rick said, looking down at me. “You made sure the Joker didn’t get to keep the bomb. You probably saved lives”.

I kept crying into his jacket, staining it with my tears. He picked me up, and carried me out of the room.

“Hey!”, Kelper called from behind us. “Can someone uncuff me from this chair? And maybe find me a new pair of pants?”.

\---

We were back at Belle Reve in the conference room. Waller was debriefing.

“Well, that was a massive fail to what should have been a very simple mission”, she said.

“Waller; you sent us in _blind_!”, Rick growled. “You almost killed Chess!”.

“If you’d done your job like I told you to; your girlfriend here would have been in and out in no time”, she answered. “Allowing the Ph.D. sociopath to follow was not part of the plan!”.

“Psychopath!”, Harley sneered at her. She was sitting in her chair, dark shadows under her red eyes. She’d been crying the whole flight back, and the whole night through in her cell. “And I’m not. Not really. I can feel plenty”, she sniffled; and dug into a tub of ice cream someone had provided for her. I felt terrible for her.

“Shut up Quinn”, Waller growled. “You’re lucky your head is still attached to your neck”. She leveled her voice. “10 years off your sentences will still be granted to all of you – except miss Quinn”. Waller sat down in her chair at the head of the table; and looked at me coldly. “And you, Y/N”.

I gasped, and a murmur sounded among the squad. Croc was growling, and Diablo set fire to a pen.

“You absolute cunt!”, Digger said. “I second that”, said Floyd. Katana simply nodded from her corner.

“Y/N risked her life for your stupid ass plan with the bomb!”, Rick roared. “She gets her sentence reduced, just like everyone else”.

“No”, Waller said. She slid a file folder across the table at me. I opened it. “That”, she said, “is the official report – signed by commissioner Gordon – that you, Chess, stopped a terrorist attack on Gotham U; by sneaking in to the Jokers hideout, and stealing the bomb he had meant to use”.

I looked at the file in disbelief. Standing up, I limped towards Rick.

“You then gave the bomb to the vigilante known as the _Batman_ , who turned it over to the authorities on your behalf”. She sighed. “You’re a free woman, Y/N”.

My arms fell, and I dropped the file on the floor; where Rick picked it up, and read it.

“But Kelper…”, I began. “The former judge Kelper has been taken into custody under the suspicion of corruption and the severe physical assault and rape of a young woman, 18 months ago”. She stood up, and began packing her briefcase. “Apparently Kelper admitted to the whole thing, while having one too many drinks at the country club with Bruce Wayne”.

I couldn’t move.

Waller looked at me pointedly. Pure hate flew between us. _I got you, bitch_ , I thought. “Your nano-bomb will be removed once this meeting is over; and your gear and personal items have been packed up for you. They will be delivered to your place of choice”. She looked like she’d eaten something very bitter. “Unfortunately, I’ve been told that your apartment has been rented out to someone else; but I’m sure you’ll figure out some other living arrangements. You’re crafty like that”. She moved towards the door. “We’re done here”.

I looked at Rick. He seemed stunned – at once happy, but also heartbroken. I looked around at my friends. _This is my family_ , I thought. _This is home_.

“Waller!”, I called. “I want to stay”. She stopped, and looked at me.

“Like I said, you’re free. The X Force consists of criminals; which you aren’t. Anymore…”, she added.

“I’m not a criminal”, Katana said, looking up at us. I smiled knowingly at her.

I found Ricks eyes. He looked at me meaningfully; and nodded. I turned to Waller again.

“You went through a hell of a lot to get to me. It seems a waste to deny my offer of staying on board”.

She seemed to consider my words carefully. “What do you want?”, she finally said.

I sat down in her chair at the head of the table. “I want the bomb out”. “That’s already a done deal”, she answered. “On all of us”, I added. The squads eyes all fell on me.

“That’s not happening”, she answered. “Your offer isn’t that good”. She went to leave again.

“Ok!”, I called. “I want the bomb out for myself. I’ll be a free woman, and I can decline any mission I want to”. She nodded. “I want a fair paycheck for each mission I join. They all get 10 years, I get 10 grand per day the mission takes; from briefing to completion”. Another nod. “Health care, dentist, retirement fund… all that shit”, I said. “And I get new equipment when needed; without GPS tracking!”. _Batdick_ , I thought.

She sighed. “I have a feeling there’s more”, she said coldly.

I smirked. “Flag and Katana get the same pay and bonuses as me”, I said. “Floyd gets a weekend with his kid; along with a viewing of her upcoming dance recital”. Deadshot looked up at me, disbelieving. “Croc gets access to nicotine pads and gum. However much is needed for him to quit smoking. And a larger flat screen”. Croc grumbled, but smiled at me. “Chato has a nieces quinceañera coming up. She get’s tickets to Fall Out Boy; front row – center. With a card from her uncle stating that he loves her”. Diablo nodded at me in thanks; his eyes welling up. “My Little Pony – Twilight Sparkle merch for Digger”. His eyes lit up, and smiled – happy as a joey in its mothers pouch.

“And Harley gets a puppy – that Croc can’t eat”, I added, looking pointedly at the big guy, who smirked and nodded.

Harley burst into tears. “You’re a doll, Chessie”, she cried. I smiled.

“These are my demands”, I said, and looked back at Waller. “Take it or leave it”.

Wallers lips tightened. “You’ve got a deal, Chess”, she said, and reached out to shake my hand.

I took her hand, and squeezed it. She went to let go; but I held on to her. “Oh! And I want a vacation”.

She sighed. “Fine. Where? Hawaii? Dubai? I’m guessing you want first class, am I right?”.

“Nah”, I answered, and walked over to Rick. I put my arms around his waist, and looked into his smiling warm eyes.

“I have something better in mind”.

\---

I woke up in a daze. The ceiling above me was wooden instead of concrete, and for a moment I couldn’t remember where I was. Smelling burning firewood and coffee, I turned my head, and saw a figure huddled under a blanket, crouching in in front of an old fire stove. _Oh yeah_ , I remembered, and smiled to myself.

“Hi”, I said, and Rick turned to look at me. “Mornin’, kitten”, he smiled at me. “Coffee will be ready in a second”. I made to get out of bed. “Don’t…”, Rick managed to say, before I let my toes hit the floor, and stepped out of the bed; woolen blankets falling from my naked body.

“Oh my god!”, I gasped; my entire body tensing up from the cold of the room. I could see my breath in front of me. Rick ran to grab a blanket from the bed, and wrapped it around me; beginning to rub my shoulders.

“Told you”, he chuckled. “It’s colder than a penguins ballsack in here!”, I gasped. Rick wrapped me in his arms, his body rumbling from stifled laughter. “It’ll be warm soon enough”, he said. “Says the guy in long johns”, I scowled.

“Let’s get you back to bed”, Rick said, lifted me from the floor, and placed me back on the old pullout we’d spent the night on. He tucked me in under the blankets there, and kissed my forehead.

“I could get used to this”, I sighed contentedly. “Good”, he said, “because I’m not planning on letting you leave any time soon”.

He laid down next to me, putting an arm around my shoulders. “Are you sure no one knows where we are?”, I asked. “No one that matters”, he answered, and put his hand on my cheek, pulling me in for a kiss.

He placed a leg over mine, locking me down; and then moved to lay himself on top of me. Our kiss deepened, tongues intertwining; and his hands began to roam the blankets for an entrance to my naked skin. Finding it, he ran his fingers down my side, over my stomach; and up to my breasts – moaning in pleasure when he found my nipples erect in response to his touch.

I pulled my arms out from under the blankets, and began playing with the hair on the back of his head; continuously savoring the taste of his tongue; when I felt a different sort of rumbling in my stomach, mixing with the aroused feeling spreading from my core.

“Rick”, I breathed, as his lips moved to kiss the spot bellow my ear; avoiding the band aid covering the incision that had been made to remove the nano-bomb from my neck. “Mhmm”, he responded, not unlatching from his targeted spot. “I need…”, I gasped as he pulled at my left nipple. “Yeah, I know”, he breathed into my ear, continuing his relentless attack on my breasts; and moving his other hand down my stomach.

I grabbed his wrist, stopping him in his tracks. “No”, I said, and pulled my head to the side, to look at him. “No?”, he asked, confused.

“I need food”, I giggled at him. “And coffee. And probably to brush my teeth, after that thing you called hunters casserole last night”. “That was a family recipe”, he feigned being hurt. “And it was… very special”, I smiled, and stroked his cheek.

He sat up. “Well”, he said, “coffee I can do. Breakfast will take a few”. I sat up, and kissed him gently.

“I love you”, I smiled. ”I love you too”, he beamed at me, and kissed my forehead again, before standing up, and moving towards the door.

“Oh”, he stopped, and glanced at me. “But after breakfast; sex. Right?”.

“Oh absolutely!”, I answered. He nodded, satisfied.

Opening the door, the room instantly went cold again; and Rick hurried to go grab the crate of perishables we’d left outside, in the tiny shed by the cabin. Entering the cabin again, he put down the crate on the table; and went to hand me a small envelope.

“This was on the door”, he said, brows furrowed. “I didn’t think anyone knew where we were”, I said, a little worried. “I didn’t tell anyone”, he assured me.

He went to pour me a mug of coffee, and I looked at the envelope in my hand. _Chess_ , it said on the front of it.

“If this blows up when I open it, I’m gonna be super pissed”, I mumbled, and heard Rick chuckle as he offered me the mug. I gently opened the envelope, and sipped at the coffee; warmth spreading through my body.

Inside was a picece of bespoke stationary; and a polaroid picture of my cats; lounging on an expensive looking couch. The letterhead on the pice of paper read _Wayne Ent._ On the middle of it, one sentence was written in intricate letters.

_No hard feelings, right? S._

I laughed out loud, catching Rick by surprise; and handed him the letter to read. He chuckled along with me, gave back the letter; and went to fry up some eggs for breakfast.

_No, Selina_ , I thought. _No hard feelings at all_.

I stood up and walked naked through the now much warmer room. Sliding my arms around Ricks waist from behind; I kissed his shoulder.

“What’s up, kitten?”, he turned and smiled at me.

“You know”, I answered, “maybe breakfast can wait a bit”. I kissed him. “Let’s see if we can repeat that finger-trick you’re so curious about”.

THE END.


End file.
